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Northern Cape Gender Based Violence (GBV) Again in the Spotlight
“We also have quite a pervasive rape culture within the country; how we feel about women and how we are treating women is very telling. So, rape culture is a major contributor to the attitudes that a lot of abusers and perpetrators have towards women and girl children.And then, of course, we have the usual suspects which are poverty and inequality and those are prevalent almost everywhere. And in SouthAfrica those have to be taken into context and with our history, the state of the world being right now and also the high levels of unemployment,” says POWALegal Manager, Naledi Kuali.
In Setlagole village, near Mahikeng, a 32-year-old mother of three, Refilwe Dithobiso was allegedly killed by her 58-year-old boyfriend, with whom she had a 20-month-old baby
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“She was our unifier. She was our crazy one in the family and we accepted her the way she was. She was very handy Whenever we had family gatherings or funerals, she would be the one making sure that everything is running smoothly We miss her,” says the victim’s aunt, Dominah Dithobiso.
Years of convincing Refilwe to leave her boyfriend, whom the family viewed as abusive were all in vain.
“We always told her to leave this man because he abuses her, and she would say there will be no one who will provide for her because she depended on him financially as she was unemployed,” Dominah Dithobiso adds.
Her partner, Fannie Moilwa is expected to make a second appearance at the Setlagole Magistrate’s Court onTuesday
In Mahikeng, the partially burnt body of a 29-year-old mother of one, Rorisang Baakwalanya from
Kuruman in the Northern Cape, was found dumped in Lokaleng village last week.
No arrests have been made yet. Naledi Kuali of Powa says low and slow rates of arrest also contribute to the increase in GBV cases.
“We also have a low rate of conviction and arrests for perpetrators of violence.This really speaks to capacity, but it also speaks to attitudes. So, the more likely you are to get away with something, the more likely you are to do it,” Kuali adds. Families of victims want justice for their loved ones.
