Women in Polokwane march as GBV is declared a national disaster
Survivors and activists in Polokwane say the national disaster declaration on GBV must be backed by real funding legal support and urgent government action.
POLOKWANE – Survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and their supporters have stressed the urgent need for government not only to declare GBV a national disaster, but to allocate sufficient funding, resources and legal support to address it meaningfully.
On Friday afternoon, Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosi Hlabisa officially declared GBV a national disaster.
The announcement came after nationwide demonstrations in which women and concerned citizens called for global attention to the country’s GBV crisis as world leaders gathered for the G20 Summit over the weekend.
Dressed in black to mourn victims and highlight their own fears, demonstrators expressed frustration that the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, had earlier in November declined their request for the disaster declaration.
In Polokwane, scores of women and young men gathered at the Jack Botes park, sharing personal testimonies before marching to the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court and other key institutions, demanding justice and accountability.
One of the survivors, Thapelo Seanego (50), spoke candidly about enduring 21 years in an abusive marriage.
“Mental abuse is very serious. You lose your confidence, and you lose yourself in the process. I stayed in that abusive marriage for 21 years,” she said.
Seanego said that victims of emotional and psychological abuse still fall through the cracks of the justice system.
“Government is not serious about taking action and bringing justice. With mental abuse there are no visible wounds, but it is more painful than physical abuse because you suffer in silence.”
Demonstration organiser Nobesthu Ramukhotheli, founder of the victim support group ‘Thy Rest’, said her own traumatic experience of being raped at age seven by a family member had shaped her life’s mission.
“I was not believed by family and no justice was sought. So I have taken it upon myself to support rape survivors and all victims of GBV,” she told Polokwane Observer.
Ramukhotheli’s centre assists women and children in need of safety, emotional support and practical resources until they are able to rebuild their lives.
Now happily married with three children, she continues to serve survivors with compassion and determination.
She can be reached for support or referrals at 063 781 0592.
