The Commission for Gender Equality welcomes the arrest of six men for allegedly killing elderly women in Zingqolweni Village, Eastern Cape.
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) welcomes the arrest of six suspects who have allegedly been linked to the killing of mostly elderly women in Zingqolweni Village, Eastern Cape.
The Commission applauds the police for their speedy response in the tireless fight against the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV). In the past months, the Commission has been liaising with various stakeholders such as South African Police Services, Department of Social Development and Community Safety in order to help bring calm and ensure through the efforts of law enforcement agencies that the perpetrators are brought to book.
The CGE in the ensuing engagements, has urged the role players to keep the families of the victims informed of all the developments pertaining to the matter. The CGE has constantly visited the area and had fruitful engagements with the communities in order to help bring calm and normality in the area.
The Commission calls for the fast-tracking of the case against anyone who has and will be arrested based on these killings. The Commission also called the Office of the Premier (OTP) to work closely with the community of Zingqolweni to raise awareness and ensure that the rights of the elderly in the village of Zingqolweni and by extension the people in the province are safeguarded and protected. The Commission apart from monitoring the developments around this case will work together with all like- minded institutions in order to help build capacity about the fundamental rights of all citizens including elderly people of South Africa.
“As the Commission we respect the rule of law and believe that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The purpose of a fair trial is to ensure that justice is delivered for both the accused and the victim. We equally believe that the families of the deceased deserve no less than a fair trial”, said Ms. Tamara Mathebula, the Chairperson of the Commission of Gender Equality
Enquiries:
Javu Baloyi
Cell: 083 579 3306
E-mail: media@cge.org.za
