Pretoria - Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele has called on local communities to take a firm stand against women and child abuse.
Reacting to an incident in which a 32-year-old man allegedly killed his 62-year-old mother and a 10-month-old baby in Emfihlweni in Tembisa, Gungubele said he believed the only hope South Africa has to end the scourge of violence against women and children was if communities stood up against it.
“This is an extremely shocking incident. How do you go about maiming members of your own family, including an innocent toddler who does not even know what is going on? This baffles the mind.
“In most cases, they [perpetrators] are known to the families of the victims and yet they still get away with it. We must agree that they do not belong in our space and be vigilant in blowing the whistle against them,” Gungubele said.
Gungubele said if people were scared to expose perpetrators, they could report them anonymously.
The country’s 16 Days of Activism campaign started a week ago. During this period, the nation embarks on a programme to fight the prevalence of women and children abuse in communities.
Gungubele urged all councillors to lead the message of no violence against women and children in their various constituencies.
“Let us all say no to the scourge of women and child abuse. Abuse in any form cannot be allowed to continue in our space. As leaders, we are expected to run with the right and positive messages.”
He called for the 16-day campaign to continue throughout the year.
“This is a campaign for 365 days a year, as crimes against our most vulnerable in society do not just happen in November/December but throughout the year,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
