Minister Patricia de Lille on her visit to three Police Stations in Mamelodi and Eersterus

Fighting Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) must remain a priority for all of society in our mission to protect our women and girls

In commemorating Women’s Month, today I was joined by the Deputy Minister of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), Noxolo Kiviet, Major-General Anna Sithole, Tshwane District Acting Commissioner, Brigadier Mbangwa Nkhwashu, Chairperson of the GBVF Response Fund1, Dr Judy Dlamini and CEO of the GBVF Response Fund1, Lindi Dlamini on a visit to the three newly installed Anti-GBVF billboards at three police stations in Tshwane.

In February this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the GBVF Response Fund1 which is being led by the private sector with R128 million pledged by companies and organised business to fight this scourge.

The GBVF Response Fund1 is a part of a national response to gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa.

The GBVF Response Fund was established to allocate financial support various programmes under the National Strategic Plan to address GBVF such as prevention and rebuilding social cohesion, justice, and protection and safety measures.

Dr Judy Dlamini, a prominent businesswomen and Chancellor of Wits University was appointed as the Chairperson of the GBVF Response Fund1.

Ms Lindi Dlamini, a well-regarded financial services and executive and non-executive director, was appointed as the CEO of the GBVF Response Fund1.

During the joint sitting in the National Assembly on the 18 September 2019, I made a commitment that the DPWI would use state-owned properties to install anti-GBVF messaging as a campaign to show government’s solidarity with communities and families who have been affected by this scourge and to demonstrate government efforts in the fight against GBVF.

The anti-GBVF messaging campaign has already started with the first billboard which was placed along Kgosi Mampuru Road in Tshwane and a mural at Manenberg Police Station in Cape Town.

DPWI is working to expand this GBVF advocacy communication campaign to all provinces.

Today I visited the three most recently installed billboards at the three police stations in Tshwane.

I was joined by the SAPS leadership in the province and engaged them as well as Dr Judy Dlamini and Ms Lindi Dlamini on how we can all work together more effectively to respond to the war against our women and children.

The billboards are placed in areas most afflicted by crime to ensure that we put these messages in the faces of those who hurt and kill our women and children.

The billboards also publicises the number of the GBV command centre where communities and victims of GBV can get help to ensure that we save more lives and put an end to this scourge.

My appeal to families and community members is to also work with us and help victims by supporting them and helping them to report abuse as this can save a victim’s life.

Too often people are afraid to speak out for fear of tarnishing the family’s name but the lives of our women and children is worth more and we must do all we can to protect them and bring those who hurt women to book. We must break the silence and stop protecting perpetrators.

There must be a firm hand in how we deal with these cases so that we stamp out GBVF and show women that as a whole society, we stand with them and we are all here to protect them.

CEO of the GBVF Response Fund1, Lindi Dlamini said: ““When everything has been said and done, our constitutional ideals of a democratic and free South Africa cannot be said to have been achieved if women and children are not living free of fear. We cannot be the generation that won freedom, standing on the shoulders of our forebears, and did not use that as a springboard to create an even better future for the next generation. Propelled by that goal, the GBVF Response Fund1 will work tirelessly to support the implementation of initiatives and programmes aimed at the effective elimination of GBVF which is such a stain on our young democracy.”

Dr Judy Dlamini said: “As the GBVF Response Fund 1 we commit to work towards a civilised and liberated South Africa, guided by the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for GBVF. The purpose of the NSP is to provide a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the crisis of GBVF by the government of South Africa and the country as a whole. It is that purpose that guides the Fund to reach across sectors for their financial and non-financial contribution to fight against the GBVF scourge. We thank Minister Patricia de Lille for honouring her commitment. We commit to work with her, other sectors of government, business and civil society, to find solutions that will help in the eradication of GBVF and restoration of human dignity for all.”

In September 2019, I also made a commitment in the National Assembly that DPWI would allocate unutilised state-owned properties to be used as shelters for GBV victims.

I will be engaging Dr Judy Dlamini and Ms Lindi Dlamini on we can work with the fund to access funding to repair unutilised DPWI properties in need of repairs so that we can make the properties available for shelters to provide a safe haven to more women and children.

So far, DPWI has made 12 properties available for shelters for GBV victims, 6 of these shelters are in Gauteng and 6 are in the Western Cape.

DPWI is currently working with officials in the Department of Social Development to identify and allocate more properties for shelters in all provinces.

As we commemorate Women’s Month, we must be mindful of the great amount of work still ahead of us to truly realise freedom and equality for women.

I reflect on these powerful words about women by Tata Nelson Mandela, who said: “For every woman and girl violently attacked, we reduce our humanity. For every woman forced into unprotected sex because men demand this, we destroy dignity and pride.”

” Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.”

“Domestic violence, rape, abuse of women remain disgraceful blots on the reputation of a country that is called a miracle nation.” End Quotes

All of these words still ring true and reminds us of the work that still lies ahead for us. Fighting for the rights and protection of women and girl will need all of us to work together and work much harder for our women and girls, not just this month but 365 days a year.

Source: Government of South Africa