Pretoria - Fed up with unsolved cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in their community, the SACP marched to Olievenhoutbosch police station on Saturday to demand answers to unsolved cases, and hand over a memorandum.
SACP secretary Vumile Mofana said there has been an increase in GBV cases in their community and that survivors and victims were feeling helpless.
“Some do not report the abuse to the police because they fear they will not get help.
“We have many cases that we know of that never get solved. There is a woman we went to who is in this situation, and a child who has been molested by her biological father since she was 4-months old. “The father hides behind culture, and says according to his culture, it should happen and that is wrong.”
In the memorandum handed over by Gladys Khoza of the Tshwane SACP, they said they will make the information available to the police so that the mother and child can receive help.
One of the demands in the memorandum is for the police to establish a multi-stakeholder forum. “We have given the station an order to establish this forum within 14 days.
“We want cases to be screened at this forum together with the statistics, and we will hold the police accountable,” Khoza said.
They also gave the station 20 days in which to respond to other demands, including that the station must have a support system for the victims.
Mofana said when that system is non-existent victims feel helpless because they don’t receive the correct treatment from the police.
He said their aim was to reduce the high number of GBV incidents and demanded to receive the statistics from the station on how many cases were solved, and those that never made it to court.
Acting station commander Captain Abdul Rahman Damon received the memorandum and said as public servants they were tasked in terms of the Constitution to take care of women, children and men who are abused.
“When a victim comes to report a case, members of this station treat them with respect. There is a special unit designed for them and it offers privacy, so that they can feel safe.
“We have a GBV help desk and a mobile family centre that offers them privacy.”
Damon said no police officer should judge victims of GBV, and he thanked the community for raising awareness about problems. Women and children deserved to live in safety.
Pretoria News