GBV is akin to a ‘second pandemic’
Zama, like so many other women, was raped and when she spoke up, nobody believed her.
Gender based-violence survivor turned motivational speaker Zama Shange shared her painful childhood abuse ordeal with guests at a GBV campaign in Gamalakhe recently.
Zama, like so many other women, was raped and when she spoke up, nobody believed her.
She told how she had to carry her pain and trauma with her throughout her childhood, and the negative impact this had had on her academic and social skills development.
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“All this because of a man – whom I knew – who could not take NO for an answer,” she said.
The campaign, with the theme “Enough is Enough” was organised by the Gamalakhe ward 27 youth forum together with Gamalakhe Saps and local CPFs and saw young people being called upon to take a firm stand against GBV.
“I remain hopeful that men will change their ways and learn to respect women and their rights,” said Zama.
Another rape survivor, just 15 years old, said she too had been raped. “I’ve kept the secret for the past eight months. Every night, thoughts of him linger in my head.
His smell, his strong grip still give me nightmares. “He told me if I tell anyone, he will kill both my mother and I.
“I wanted to live. I am too young to die so I kept quiet.”
Disturbingly, she said he had violated her ‘again and again’.
“When I finally did open up, society judged me. “How did it happen? What was I wearing? Were we dating? No!
“Then they said I must’ve seduced him. I felt betrayed, not only by the rapist, but by society as well.”
The teen said she had also had to forgive her rapist after negotiations were held on her behalf by relatives.
“I feel like I was forced to forgive him. My rights were shrugged off like I asked for this.
“I am human, I have rights. I just want to be normal like other women.”
Sergeant Nomusa Xaba of the Social Crime Prevention Unit said GBV statistics in Gamalakhe were alarming.
“What is even more worrying is the number of cases which are later withdrawn due to family negotiations, wasting valuable state resources and defeating the course of justice.”
Guest speaker, Dr Thandeka Ngcobo said society often blamed and seldom favoured the victim.
“We live at a time when the men among us don’t understand the word NO. Some men see NO as a statement that challenges them to try harder.”
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said on Monday during a live security cluster virtual dialogue that all South Africans had to escalate the fight against gender-based violence.
“We need to ensure that every woman can walk the streets of a free South Africa without fear.”
Speaking at the same virtual conference, police minister Bheki Cele said, “The brutal killing of women in this country is a shame I carry each day as a South African, as a cabinet member, as a member of society, a father, a husband and a man.
“The guilty are often men that the women know, men that they love, men that they trust and expect to protect them.”
The minister added gender-based crimes had been prioritised by both the police and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had called this a second pandemic, akin to Covid-19.
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