The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities welcomes the arrest of Mr Ntembeko Myalo following his horrendous gruesome attack on his student wife at Cape Peninsula University of Technology over the weekend. The Department is further encouraged by the bold step taken by the University of Western Cape to suspend Mr Myalo from its campus after the gruesome attack and his appearance in court on culpable homicide case yesterday.
The National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF) states that “The rate of femicide in South Africa continues to be amongst the highest globally with three women reported killed each day by their intimate partners”. It is sad that despite concerted efforts put in place over the years to address GBVF in the country, the scourge continues ravishing the lives of women and communities relentlessly. There is ongoing instances of femicide with some deaths committed in most heineous manner imaginable. The recent attack of a student at an institution of higher learning is appauling and should never happen again.
The 2022 Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide acknowledged that the GBVF in South Africa continue to be a national pandemic, and many women in all their diversities continue to be victims of gender based violence.The Summit made a clarion call through six resolutions.
The NSP on GBVF centres around six pillars: Accountability, Coordination and Leadership, Prevention and Rebuilding Social Cohesion, Justice, Safety and Protection, Response, Care, Support and Healing; Economic Power; and Research and Information systems.
The success of the NSP on GBVF is dependent on all of us working together in a coordinated and multisectoral approach to ensure that we prevent this scourge.
Media enquiries:
Cassius Selala
E-mail: Cassius.Selala@dwypd.gov.za
Cell: 060 543 0672
Lorrian Shabangu
E-mail: Lorraine.Shabangu@dwypd.gov.za
Cell: 076 212 3769
