SA’s femicide rate, a black cloud on the country’s reputation: Minister Zulu

South Africa’s high murder and rape numbers of women have tarnished the country’s international reputation.

That’s according to acting Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Lindiwe Zulu.

Zulu and KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube addressed the national launch of Women’s Month in Durban.

At least nine women are murdered every day in South Africa. Zulu says there is an urgent need to address the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in the country.

According to the South African Police Services, at least 1500 women were raped in the first three months of this year.

Over 900 women were killed in the same period. The acting minister says this scourge is tainting South Africa’s image globally.

“South Africa is one country that sometimes when we go international, we tell people the beautiful things about our country, we tell people about almost 30 years of democracy. We tell people about how best we have developed our country under very difficult circumstances, and people stand up and say, “but tell us why are you killing so many women, tell us why so many women are being abused, tell us why women suffer gender-based violence and femicide.”

In conversation with women at the forefront of fighting against GBV:

Women’s Month Theme

Women’s Month this year will be commemorated under the theme, Accelerating Socio-Economic Opportunities for Women Empowerment.

The disproportionate number of women compared to men in the mainstream economy was also raised.

The KwaZulu-Natal Premier has called on women to tap into the opportunities offered by BRICS trade relations.

“As those deals are being signed, we want to be the first to on the door before even the ink dry on those papers. To say you have signed an agreement on trading on meat. I’ve heard of the one, specially the one of avocados that is going to be signed because we have a lot of avocados even on the roads here in KZN and we can’t fail to supply billions of avocados to China. I think it’s China that needs avocados but where are we? Are we ready? Or we going to be the third party down the line when somebody is going to be saying they can supply but they come to us to supply and we come down the value chain as a third party and all the money would have gone to the first person.”

Dube-Ncube also called for greater representation of women at all leadership levels, including in government.

“It took 30 years in KwaZulu-Natal before they a can have a woman; I mean really 30 years. I think when it comes to the next term I will not want us to lose this spot because I know that in the last 30 years when we not in this position our voices were not heard as much.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address this year’s women’s day commemorations at the Khayelitsha Rugby Stadium in the Western Cape on August 9th.

Women’s Month I ‘Women continue to bear the brunt of violent crimes’: