Tsakani – Nothando Mbatha, a court preparation officer at the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court, and CPF chairperson Mncedisi Somyo held a 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign event at the Faranani Multipurpose Centre on December 5.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), law enforcement agencies, the Spiritual Crime Prevention Project, a GBV unit, the Department of Justice and Lifeline Ekurhuleni, among others, supported the event.
Mbatha said she initiated this event because, as the NPA, they have a challenging number of case withdrawals related to GBV, assault with grievous bodily harm and contravened protection orders.
“I have to provide court preparation services where I support and empower witnesses. However, they want withdrawals. As the NPA, we are saying we are not supporting case withdrawals related to GBV. We want to divert rather than withdraw.
“Diversion is when we say an accused must attend programmes through social workers that will modify his behaviour. The victim should attend to their therapeutic needs,” explained Mbatha.
She said many other victims want to withdraw their cases when they appear for trials.
“So, we have collaborated with other stakeholders like social development through referrals. For example, if the court diverts the matter, they refer it to social development, where they provide diversion programmes for accused persons. They also provide counselling for our victims,” she added.
Somyo said the event also addressed community concerns around crime, reporting cases and the processes to follow when requiring law enforcement.
“We realised community members do not know the importance of making sure that when they open cases, there are implications.
“People who constantly withdraw cases sometimes often end up arrested because of that action, which is another reason why we want to address those concerns while educating the public,” he said.
He added the police station is always open, and the police will always assist the community. The founder and chairperson of the Ekurhuleni Milady’s organisation, Naledi Sibano, said they work closely with schools and stakeholders to combat GBV and that many men face abuse and are often violated but do not voice their problems to get help.
ALSO CHECK: Raising soccer takes global stage
“Men must be encouraged to speak out when they experience abuse in a relationship, marriage and society.
“There are also children who abuse their parents due to the dismissal of corporal punishment. The problem with this form of punishment is that the police only reprimand the child based on their actions, but it never stops.
“It is time we look at abuse and GBV from different angles to find solutions to this problem,” she added.
Sibano said parents also need help and information about where to go for help when their children abuse them.
She concluded by saying that the 16 Days of Activism campaign serves as a platform to discuss and educate people about assault, rape, GBV and other forms of violence.
ALSO CHECK: Minister Nkabane launches R657m disability fund
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
