March against gender-based violence and femicide

Multitudes of men and women joined hands together this week, 1 October 2024, in a march that responded to issues of women and child abuse, and to highlight the rising cases of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in Mogale City.

The march which also serves as the official launch of the ‘End GBVF 100-day Challenge’, was held under the ‘Humanity before Profession’.

The event put together by Mogale City Local Municipality’s Community Development Services department, saw more than 1000 marchers converging at the notorious Richmond Street, in Sevewright area, located in the Central Business District of Krugersdorp.

The organisers chose the Richmond Street as the meeting point of the march, for it is notorious and well-known for its nefarious day and night activities ranging from ‘being a safe have drug dealings and drug lords, rapes, child-molesting, prostitution, high levels of crime’, amongst others.

The before the marchers navigated the streets of Krugersdorp CBD leading to the Krugersdorp Magistrates Court, where a memorandum was handed over to the Senior Magistrate,Surẽ Hawkins, speaker after speaker echoed sad GBVF realities that women and children are going through and experiencing on daily basis.

The Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for Health and Social Development, Wonderful Segolodi said: “We are meeting here as our starting point for this march as and indication that enough is enough with regards to the rising incidents and cases on the abuse of women and children and gender-based violence and femicide,” Segolodi said, receiving a rousing applause from the crowd.

“We are marching to the Krugersdorp Magistrates Court to handover this memorandum of grievances on these issues, and we want the courts to take a dim view on these cases and keep the perpetrators of these heinous crimes behind bars and throw the keys away. 

The Ward 20 Councillor Mark Trump added his voice and said: “We chose this street as our meeting to make drug lords and peddlers that we are aware of their actions, and we will not look away while our women and kids are turned into prostitutes.

“It is important that we reassure our people that an injury to one is an injury to all. We also need to emphasise the critical role of girls and women and what they represent in the family structure. They are our children, some of them are our mothers, aunts, sisters and grandchildren.”

The crowd marched towards the Magistrates Court singing and ululating with placards reading ‘an attack on one woman is an attack on all’, ‘Down with GBVF and women and child abuse’, ‘No bail for GBVF suspects’, amongst others.   

The stakeholders ranging from Municipal and Social Development department Social Workers and leaders from various non-governmental organisations, spoke in unison condemning GBVF and the abuse of women and children in the strongest terms.

At the court foyer,Hawkinsreceived the memorandum and assured the crowed that she will respond the issues outlined on the memorandum within 14 days, much to the rousing applause from the crowd and on-lookers.

Sipho None
Soweto Sunrise News