Op-ed: Our plan to stop gender violence and hate crime

When we talk of women and their plight we are not forgetting the thousands of Courtney Pietersen’s, our beautiful 3 year old we lost this year in a suspected rape/femicide crime – a grousome act of deep inhumanity.

We talk of women’s plight and are not forgetting the pain and fear, our Lesbain and Gay communities go through in our streets. We remember Noxolo Nogwaza, a brave 31 year old Gender Activist who had to die for her activism as a gang of persons with evil hearts and minds pounced on her stabbing her to death after an unspeakable so-called corrective rape. There are many others including Miss Noluvo Swelindawo of Khayelitsha and more.

Lesbians and Gays are killed because they were born that way, a hate killing. The creator creates and some amongst us believe it is up to them to uncreate that which nature has beautifully given to us as humanity. These therefore are not just gender based violent crimes but hate crimes as well.

They are the same as being killed because of the color of your skin. Amongst us live hateful persons who do not belong in the streets. These persons are our new KKK.

This klan of peadophiles, homophones and women killers must be isolated by our communities and reported to the Police department without fail.

Researchers say 51% of Lesbians and Gays live in total fear in this country. 81% of the crimes against them are said to never get reported.

The question before me as your Minister of Police is what is it that I am doing to make it easier for Lesbians and Gays, the entire community of the LGBTQI to feel safe to report crimes against them. It is a crime to harrass, harm, intimidate, rape, sexually assault or abuse Lesbians and Gays.

Rape and Domestic Violence against women and vulnerable groups is a serious crime. Whether the rape is occuring between strangers or acquainted persons, it is still a crime.

Women are not a property of males in this country. No human has a right to own and control another.

The violence in our society time and time and again is always linked to alcohol and beer halls. The abuse of alcohol by our citizens is robbing the state of billions of rands per year where our hospitals are jam packed with injuries from assaults especially on Sundays and Mondays.

The example of this is seen in the case of our own comrade, Deputy Minister Mduduzi Manana who today appeared at the Randburg Court after handing himself over to the police this morning following his constant cooperation with the investigators from the day the matter was reported. The Deputy Minister availed himself to us and has been fully cooperative.

Citizens have rightfully demanded that this case be treated as serious and urgent due to the identity of the perpetrator. I agree.

A few days passed without a court appearance due to witness statements that had to be obtained and the case docket that had to meet the good standards we have set to make sure we prosecute successfully. There was never a reason to rush a matter when the emergency is not there – rushing leads to many simple and straight forward cases being bungled.

SAPS has been thorough and the law is taking its course. Your state fully supports the victim and acting only on behalf of the victim.

The case is going to be Mduduzi Manana vs the State acting for the victim. Many have asked for a rush to arrest the suspects however the law does not always work that way.

An arrest without a warrant is not done willy nilly. Indeed, an axe wilding man in the street would be arrested as that is an emergency, a man caught in the moment of beating his wife would be restrained and arrested. Courts have also been clear to SAPS that an arrest must be done procedurally. We lose a lot of money in civil claims in this regard when we arrest without proper due diligence.

Arrest is not a form of punishment. An arrest police make is primarily to secure appearance in court and also as an emergency measure to restore peace and order.

The Deputy Minister is a known individual, he can not hide from the law, he is not a flight risk and as police we do not meet out punishments but secure suspects for court processes. Courts hear the matters openly and decide on punishment or otherwise.

I have noted that many on social media would prefer for the Minister of Police to carry with himself handcuffs and cuff up any suspect. That will make us a police state.

We are a constitutional democracy and we have a victim who is able to identify her attacker and the law will now take its course.

The disturbing aspects of the matter before the police is very clear. A woman was assaulted by a group of men who, according to media reports had a problem with something she said.

A group of men, a klan – joined to exchange masculine punches with a lady at a beer hall well after the legal hours of consumption of alcohol as per license of the beer hall itself.

Here we are dealing with various potential crimes and these suppress the state and put pressure on service delivery as the victim had to be seen by a medical professional.

We saw a brutal view of a school boy challenging a school girl into a fight and beating her up so bad I thought she needed a sacn to check her head trauma. These things occur when we promote violence and make it fashionable.

These are the children we raise. This boy if there is no serious intervention will surely grow up to be a women killer.

Crimes against women and all gender based violence are not only plain evil but directly cost the public and economy money.

A grandmother who buys her living essentials and paying VAT pays for drunkness of people who end up raping and assaulting women.

Another vulnerable group we have found to be particularly vulnerable in KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo and Eastern Cape are our citizens with albinism. The idea that their organs contain special powers is as a fallacy as the idea of girl infants having ability to cue HIV.

The pigmantation issue on people with albinism does not change the organs, it will not give you any power. The killing of our citizens with albinism is a grave crime. It is a grave crime.

Our elderly and people with disabilities too are under great strain from the able bodied people. All abuse and neglect of these vulnerable groups is a crime.

Yesterday I witnessed a broken mother, her pain teared the walls of the room of her humble home in Khayelitsha as she was getting into terms with the untimely death of her daughter.

She and her husband who escaped death from a grievous assault had feared that the day may come as they went through terror over the years from the person of interest in this case.

They had witnessed their daughter Aviwe Jam Jam coming home with bruises and being treated like a piece of property. They did all they could as parents but ultimately their beautiful daughter was found dead after missing for a week.

I want to again inform communities this very important message:

I know we watch American Movies and they give us ideas. In South Africa however: THERE IS NO WAITING PERIOD FOR REPORTING A MISSING PERSON. If a person who has been know to arrive or phone at a particular minute does not do so – go report to police immediately. There is no waiting time – the sooner you report the matter the higher the chances of us saving a life.

As I conclude, let me go back to a question I said I have posed to myself as your Minister of Police: What am I doing to make it easier for women and all vulnerable groups to report these very serious crimes to the police?

On Friday, I will be unveiling a Policy on Removing Barriers to Reporting of Gender Based Crimes, Domestic Violence and other related crimes.

In this policy we are saying;

No woman must be turned back from a police station.

Each person reporting a crime must be treated as a genuine victim – not to be second guessed but assisted.

We are saying a slap on the face is a potential murder.

We are saying unwanted touching is a potential rape.

All victims and their families must be offered victim support.

We are saying our police stations will treat victims or survivors with care and all sensitivity in line with the trauma they have gone through.

We are saying we have no time to waste time.

Ayihlome against gender based violence