Latest news with #Wise4Afrika
The Citizen
08-08-2025
- The Citizen
GBV campaigns are falling flat
Campaigns and outrage resurface annually, yet murders, rapes and harassment persist –with little meaningful change. Here we are at that time of the year again when we rant that 'this can't go on', or that 'things must change'. And we launch this or that campaign which will, this time around, 'really make a difference.' But nothing changes and, instead, things get worse. As we head towards Women's Day tomorrow, the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) seems to be like perpetually filling a holey bucket with water: you never get anyway near your goal. As we report today, the numbers make for depressing reading. Murders of women and children, rapes and contact sexual offences are not going down. The best we can report is that, in some cases, they look stable, but in others they're increasing at an alarming rate. Activists we spoke to this week outlined how the odds are stacked against women, who are the primary targets of violent assaults, as well as more insidious sexual harassment. ALSO READ: Join us in the fight against GBV Harassment in the workplace occurs daily and, according to Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, director of the feminist organisation, Wise4Afrika, many employers do not listen, or do not want to listen to, the complaints of their female staff. Prince Ntsikelelo Soga, the executive director of the I Am That Ma organisation said: 'GBV is claiming the lives and dignity of thousands of women and children.' He said the justice system is weak, police often mishandle cases, investigations are delayed and conviction rates are low. 'Survivors face secondary trauma when reporting and many simply give up … and patriarchal culture protects abusers.' We all have a responsibility to change our society. Parents must inculcate values of gender respect in their children, particularly boys. Similar education must take place at school and the police must be trained to recognise GBV and assist the victims. The scourge of GBV shames us as a nation. NOW READ: Mistakes to avoid when applying for a protection order against alleged abusers
The Citizen
27-06-2025
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga school principal suspended for alleged sexual assault
Feminist organisation Wise4Afrika welcomed the school principal's suspension. Education experts and organisations fighting against gender-based violence have welcomed the suspension of a Mpumalanga high school principal who is accused of sexual harassment. Mpumalanga Department of Education spokesperson Jasper Zwane said the principal of Magwagwaza Secondary School in Bushbuckridge has been placed on precautionary suspension with immediate effect due to serious allegations of sexual harassment. 'This action has been taken to enable an investigation into the matter and to safeguard the best interests of learners. The department treats all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness and acts in strict accordance with the Employment of Educators Act (Act No. 76 of 1998),' said Zwane. 'In particular, section 17 of the Act provides for the mandatory dismissal of any educator found guilty of serious misconduct, including committing an act of sexual assault against a learner, engaging in a sexual relationship with a learner, and encouraging or coercing a learner to participate in sexual acts.' ALSO READ: Teacher dismissed for sexual harassment after denying smacking Grade 8 pupil's bums He said the department would also refer the matter to the South African Council for Educators (SACE), which has the authority to deregister educators found guilty of sexual misconduct, thereby prohibiting their re-employment in any educational institution within the country. Zwane added that the department was deeply disturbed by the allegations. 'We call on parents, learners, and members of the school community to continue to report any suspected incidents of sexual misconduct by educators or any other individual to the law enforcement institutions, including the South African Police Service (Saps), and to the department.' ALSO READ: Number of school sexual misconduct cases being investigated in the triple digits Advocate Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, director of the feminist organisation Wise4Afrika, welcomed the department's action. 'This decisive action must be seen as a way to end gender-based violence tolerance and minimisation of the harm sexual harassment inflicts on learners and to the entire school and families,' she said. Education expert Henrick Makaneta said it was shocking that a principal has been accused of sexual harassment. 'There is no doubt that these are serious allegations. It is disappointing that a senior education practitioner whose duty is to protect learners is implicated in such an unlawful act… Police should speed up the investigations to ensure that justice is served.' NOW READ: Mpumalanga department of education clears acting principal of assault claim
The Citizen
23-06-2025
- The Citizen
Protection orders and police ‘failing victims of GBV'
Wise4Afrika's Brenda Madumise-Pajibo said the police are failing to enforce protection orders. Protection orders are failing to protect women from being abused by their partners in gender-based violence (GBV) cases, despite restraining orders. This is according to advocate Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, director of the feminist organisation, Wise4Afrika. Wise4Afrika takes legal action against police Madumise-Pajibo said her organisation had filed papers in the high court suing the police on behalf of the family of Sasha Lee Monique Shah, who was killed after police failed to confiscate her husband's gun as stipulated in an interim protection order. 'We are currently assisting the family to sue the police because they failed to seize the gun from the man. The order was issued by the Pinetown Magistrate's Court on 22 September 2022, while she was killed in October 2022 in Umhlanga, north of Durban,' Madumise-Pajibo said. 'We are in the process of launching litigation against the police. For now, I cannot divulge much information about this litigation.' ALSO READ: Are police winning the war on gender-based violence? Madumise-Pajibo was also concerned about the case of Gugu Nkuna from Phola near Ogies in Mpumalanga, whose former partner reportedly assaulted her and tried to rape her a few days ago, even though she had a protection order against him. Protection orders not protecting victims She said the two cases were evidence that protection orders were not protecting GBV victims from their abusers. 'There is something wrong here because the court will issue the order as expected, but the police are failing to enforce what the order requires. 'I think we need the government to establish a specialised unit which will only focus on GBV cases. What I have realised is that some of the police officers don't even read the court order documents, while those who read them seem not to understand or they are ignorant.' ALSO READ: GBV: Convicted Western Cape rapist on the loose a 'direct threat to women's safety' Nkuna told The Citizen that she obtained a protection order against her former partner in 2023, but he continued abusing her. When she reported the matter to the police, they did not take any action. She said during the recent attack, she was rescued by community members who phoned the police as the man stripped her naked, demanding to have sex with her. GBV activist Sihle Sibisi from Kwanele Foundation said the police had let Nkuna down. 'She must open a case against them because they failed her by not taking action against the guy for violating the protection order. She must find a lawyer and open a case against them,' said Sibisi. 'The woman did what was needed to stop the abuse, but law enforcement agencies failed her.' Nkuna's legal representative, Mabu Marweshe from Marweshe Attorneys, said they would open a criminal case of defeating the ends of justice against the officers who refused to assist her. 'It is very unfortunate.' NOW READ: Grief claims grandfather after granddaughter's burial
