Madam,

Thank you, editor, for allowing me space to denounce, in its strongest terms, the alarming levels of GBV cases in the country.

The recent statistics revealed at the National Gender-Based Violence Indaba are nothing short of a national emergency. With 22 lives lost in just three months, including seven children and nearly 2 000 cases of gender-based violence recorded in the same period, we are witnessing a tragedy that is stripping our nation of its heart and soul. These are not merely numbers on a spreadsheet, but real people, cherished loved ones and innocent children whose dreams have been cruelly extinguished by those they should have been able to trust.

The harrowing details shared by the National Commissioner of Police, Vusi Masango, paint a heartbreaking picture, as violence is occurring most frequently in our homes, the very places where our children and vulnerable family members should feel the safest. From the prevalence of transactional relationships, often referred to as imali yekuta, to the alarming rise in rape cases involving minors, it is clear that our communities are crying out for healing and protection.

As the Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla, rightly emphasised, together, we can build communities where women and girls live free from fear and together, we can end gender-based violence. However, she was equally clear that laws and policies alone are failing to stem the tide. We must move beyond the indaba’s halls into immediate, tangible action that touches the lives of the suffering.

Regarding political and moral accountability, as Reverend Johannes Mazibuko noted, we need a national moral vision that restores respect and empathy, ensuring no perpetrator is allowed to use their status or influence to evade justice and leave a survivor in the cold.

Furthermore, we must prioritise survivors, as we heed the call for a fully equipped forensic laboratory and more shelters. As the SWAGAA Director, Nonhlanhla Dlamini, stressed, the delays in concluding gender-based violence cases inflict unbearable agony on survivors and we must expedite these trials and move towards declaring gender-based violence a national disaster to properly mobilise our resources and support those who are struggling to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.

Finally, regarding ending the silence, lena yindzaba yetfu sonkhe. We must transition from passive observers to active protectors who value the dignity of every person. This means reporting abuse with courage, challenging harmful cultural norms that perpetuate pain and holding our neighbours and family members to a higher standard of kindness. We are marking this as the Year of Agape Love, yet our actions in our own homes often reflect a painful absence of that very love. Let this be the moment we stop, take action and reclaim our communities from this monster of violence. We owe it to the 22 people lost this quarter and to every child who deserves to grow up in a home filled with laughter and safety, to make this change a reality.  

The recent statistics revealed at the National Gender-Based Violence Indaba are nothing short of a national emergency.