SA police commissioner Kehla Sitole to implement action plan to combat GBV and femicide

DURBAN - THE national police commissioner, General Kehla Sitole has vowed to implement an action plan to combat gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide.

Sithole was speaking during a dialogue hosted by the SAPS yesterday, to address issues relating to the capacity of the police to overcome the GBV crisis in the country.

The panel of speakers, led by Sitole, included youth entities – the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), South African Youth Council, the National Youth Crime Prevention (NYCP) organisation, Peace, Safety and Security organisation and other key stakeholders.

The entities presented the challenges they are faced with and proposed solutions.

Nontsikelelo Khawula from the NYDA highlighted that perpetrators needed to face the consequences of their actions.

“Some perpetrators are hidden by family members and the family believes that they can sort it out as a family. If perpetrators carry on as normal, they will not understand the extent of their actions,” said Nhlanhla Sizani from Peace Safety and Security.

Lungelo Zulu from the NYCP said more groundwork was needed to eradicate GBV, which has been declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa as being a second pandemic alongside the Covid19 pandemic.

“It is about time we groom boy children as much as we groom girl children. Perpetrators are mostly men who turn out to assault women, so programmes should be aimed equally at both genders.

“We need less dialogue and more implementation. We need to talk less and do more.

“We need conducive and safe police stations where it is safe to report anyone and anything. Churches need to step up and play a role in fighting against GBV, and speak up against this pandemic in their sermons,” Zulu said.

Sitole vowed to implement the strategies discussed, and called for the formation of committees over the next seven days following the dialogue.

“These committees will oversee the execution of a solid action plan, and these programmes are expected to deliver a progress report within three months,” he said.

Sitole gave panel members seven days to form committees to look at youth-crime prevention, a stabilisation action plan and a GBV outreach programme.

In closing remarks, the deputy national police commissioner, Liziwe Ntshinga urged all citizens to actively participate in the fight against GBV.

“We need people to come out and call out perpetrators,” she said.

Meanwhile, Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza called on the community to fight against GBV following yet another incident in the province.

She was commenting after a video surfaced online showing a man assaulting a woman in a minibus taxi.

The department reported that the taxi was loading passengers to travel from Pietermaritzburg to Durban when the man allegedly pounced on the defenceless woman and attempted to suffocate her between the seats.

The MEC condemned the incident, saying the man’s actions were unjustifiable. “This matter cannot go unchallenged.

“Our daily occurrences of women abuse, rape and murders need us as the society to be united in isolating those involved in such cruelty against women and children.

“We commend the passengers who recorded the video for bringing this matter to our attention,” she said.

THE MERCURY