RAPE AND ASSAULT: SA’S GIFT TO OUR LADIES FOR WOMEN’S DAY

The raping of the 46-year old women and her two daughters on their smallholding outside Muldersdrift on Friday are proof that amendments on the Sexual Offences Act are needed. The names of convicted rapists should be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) and this list should be made public urgently.

“When this three offenders are hunt down their identities should be accessible on the NRSO so that everyone knows who they are when they for example apply for a job in the future. No punishment truly justifies the long-term harm a woman must process after being assaulted and raped,” says Daleen Gouws, spokesperson of civil rights group, Action Society.

On the brink of National Women’s Day another wife was being brutally assaulted. The 64-year-old Irene Muhl is in a critical condition at a Rustenburg hospital after her tendons and muscles was cut off with a panga. She also suffered numerous stab wounds to her body. Appallingly a case of theft is being investigated since the five armed attackers fled the scene with a laptop and bicycle.

“These two dreadful incidents are proof that government lacks the will to enforce safety and security in South Africa. The latest annual crime statistics, presented in Parliament last week, stated that rape cases have increased by 1.7% since 2018. We need to join hands together in our fight to combat sex offenders from repeating their crimes,” says Gouws.

President Cyril Ramaphosa must stop making empty promises when it comes to gender based violence (GBV) and the wellbeing of women and children in this country. Transparency of criminal’s identities in our communities seems to be the only solution to the escalating problem.

Action Society calls on the public to sign their petition (www.actionsociety.co.za/national-register) and request the President to address this distressing issue as soon as possible.