“We need less talk and more action during this year’s 16 Days of Activism against violence against women and children. Real activism is about action,” says Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm.
“During this year’s 16 days of activism campaign, 48 children and 160 women will be murdered; 64 children and 272 women will narrowly escape death due to attempted murder and 320 children and 2 560 women will be assaulted with the intent to cause them grievous bodily harm. To say all of their names and tell their stories in only 16 days, we would have less than seven minutes per victim. They deserve so much more.”
Action Society supported the families of two murder victims and a rape survivor last week as the man who stand accused of strangling Candice Robertson, the two suspects accused of slitting Alfredo April’s throat and the Photographer Rapist appeared in court.
Candice Robertson: Strangled to death
(29 November 2023: Cape Town Magistrates Court)
Ettiene van der Merwe, the man charged with Candice Robertson’s murder, appeared at the Cape Town Magistrates court last week and was let out on bail with strict conditions. He will appear at the Cape Town Regional court again on 19 December 2023.
Candice was found dead in the room the couple shared in Greenpoint, Cape Town, on 30 April 2022. According to reports, Van der Merwe allegedly called the owner of the guest house to report that Robertson seemed to have committed suicide in the room. However, when authorities and medics arrived at the scene, there were doubts about whether she had committed suicide, leading to van der Merwe’s arrest. He was granted bail of R6 000
Alfredo April: Throat slit and left for dead
(28 November 2023: Malmesbury Magistrates Court)
The two men accused of killing Alfredo April by slitting his throat on June 29, 2023 appeared at the Malmesbury magistrate court last week. April used the few remaining seconds of his life shouting for help as he used his beanie to stem the flow of blood from his neck after the brutal assault. The case was postponed to 19 January for a regional court date. Fortunately both men remain in custody.
Photographer rapist: Raped aspiring model
(28 November 2023: Paarl Regional Court)
Action Society was at the Paarl Regional Court for the case against the “Photographer Rapist”. The case was briefly struck from the court roll due to a missing docket. The docket was found two hours later, and the matter was postponed to 11 December 2023. Fortunately, the accused remains detained in connection with another rape charge. The photographer used his profession to lure and rape the young woman who was an aspiring model.
