The Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube has made an impassioned plea to the people of the Province to join hands to stem the rising tide of Gender Based-Violence and Femicide, ahead of the funeral of a Pietermaritzburg doctor who was killed and her lifeless body stuffed intothe boot of a car last week.
Dr Zamambo Siphokazi Mkhize, whose body was discovered in Pietermaritzburg’s Imbali Township, will be laid to rest on Saturday, 06 April 2024. The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube will attend the funeral service of Dr ZamamboMkhize.
On Sunday, last week, the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide also reared its macabre head, when a Durban Metro Officer, Ms Yolanda Khuzwayo was killed allegedly by her partner, Mr. Sizwe Ngema, a fellow cop, after he stabbed her several times and then filmed her as her life ebbed away.
Ngema appeared in court this week charged with the murder of Ms. Khuzwayo.
“These two incidents have not only sent rippling shockwaves throughout the province and the country at large, but they are also a gruesome reminder that the scourge of Gender Based-Violence and Femicide remains a festering sore in our collective fabric as a society,” said Dube- Ncube.
She said these incidents of Gender-Based Violence and femicide (GBV&F) were not only a damning indictment on the levels of gender inequality in our country but sullied the celebrations of the 30thanniversary of our freedom.
“During the dark days of apartheid, as women we suffered what was called tripled oppression. We were oppressed because we were black, denied of our rights because we were women and stripped of our dignity because we belonged to the lower strata and class of society. While our government has done a lot to drive the agenda of women empowerment, the rising tide of femicide and gender-based violence is now threatening to reverse all these gains.
While we are not advocating for the phenomenon of collective guilt, but the fact of the matter is that women do not kill themselves, but they are killed by men. It is men who rape us and who treat us as none-entities,” she said.
Dube Ncube called on the province to honour the memory of Dr Mkhize and Ms. Khuzwayo by intensifying the fight against femicide and gender-based violence in the province.
“We have to move beyond platitudes and condemnation. We must intensify the fight against the scourge of GBV&F. In this regard, we must end the fragmentation amongst the initiatives that fight GBV&F, but we must have meaningful collaborations. To this end, I invite particularly the private sector to join hands with other social partners to fight this scourge. This is a fight where victory can only be attained at the back of proper resourcing of the initiatives to bring about gender equality, where women are allowed to live their lives without fear and intimidation”,she said
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For more information contact the Head of Provincial Government Communications Bongi Gwala on 072 793 4757 or Acting Media Liaison Joseph Cubai on 060 534 4187
ISSUED BY KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
