By Gabi Khumalo
Thokoza – “I’m very hurt because I was not aware that her sexuality affected other people, while the family didn’t have a problem with her choices. She loved herself the way she was. I don’t know what it is that disgusted them when they looked at her.”
These are the sombre words spoken by Thoziwe Zozo, a grief-stricken mother whose heart has been torn apart by the senseless killing of her daughter, Duduzile Zozo.
Zozo, aged 55, cannot come to terms with the brutal way in which her daughter’s life was snuffed out at the age of 26. Duduzile is one of the latest victims of what can be categorised as one of the most heinous crimes against any human being – ‘corrective’ rape. Her ‘sin’, in the eyes of her attacker(s), was being a lesbian.
Duduzile’s half-naked body was discovered at a house about 10 metres from her home late last month. She had been brutally raped and murdered.
Time passes slowly for Zozo, despite the fact that she has other responsibilities such as caring for her four children and three grandchildren. The pain of knowing that the spot where her daughter was murdered is just down the street becomes too much. Not even the walls of the one-room corrugated iron house she shares with her family have enough steel to block out the memory.
Zozo thinks moving to a new area might help.
“Maybe I would start healing then, but it’s not easy passing that spot on a daily basis. It always brings back bad memories for me.”
Even if she moves, she will carry her daughter in her heart, which is heavy with unanswered questions. Like anyone who has been in her shoes, all she wants to know is why.
“When they find the [murderers], I would like to ask them what is it that my daughter did to them because I don’t understand why an outsider can be affected by her being a lesbian. Was she not good enough to walk in the streets?” she asks rhetorically, wiping tears away from her cheeks.
Zozo’s neighbour, Joyce Ngejani, who described Duduzile as a soft-spoken person, said the community was still in shock. Worse still is the fear that the perpetrators are still roaming the streets, causing anxiety that they will continue raping and murdering other innocent women.
“We were all shocked and hurt, no one believed it. Duduzile never got into a fight with anyone. She used to play soccer and walked with other boys on the street. We have confidence in government that one day, the [killers] will be caught. But we fear that while they are still on the loose, more women could become victims,” said Ngejani.
Right to choice
Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, paid a visit to the Zozo family on Thursday.
She told Zozo she feels her pain, which is why government will do all it can to make sure justice is served.
She said her department will try to make sure that the Zozos get a decent house where they can live with dignity and in safety.
Xingwana later visited a local police station to check on the progress on Duduzile’s case. She also held a consultative meeting with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex community.
Xingwana was hopeful that after her meeting with the police, there will be more community education and awareness about the rights of South Africans to sexual orientation, and the right to choice, which is enshrined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
“What’s important is that we need to educate our communities about these rights and Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is clear that women cannot just be murdered in the community and harassed just because they are lesbians. People need to understand the right of association and right to choice. We need to step up this campaign,” Xingwana said.
Xingwana could not say much about Duduzile’s case, as the matter is sub judice.
“There have been a number of suspects that have been arrested so far, but the evidence did not link them to the killing. But we will ensure that those who are responsible get tough sentences.”
The visit took place on Orange Day, July 25, a day dedicated to UNiTE to end Violence against Women Campaign, as declared by the United Nations Secretary General. – SAnews.gov.za
