She said it was now high time we pray and God intervenes against the scourge of women abuse.
Ermelo police station boss Colonel Winnie Mavuso has painted a picture of Ermelo being one of the most violent areas in Mpumalanga, with violence perpetuated against women and rape being rife.
Mavuso was speaking during a prayer session at the Msukaligwa civic centre in Ermelo on Wednesday afternoon (14 May).
She said the area of Ermelo was in the top 15 of the most violent areas in Mpumalanga.
“I won’t divulge the figures and specific incidents because if I do that I’d be divulging the official statistics which I’m not permitted to,” Mavuso said while on stage.
“But all that I can say is that women and girls get killed in Ermelo.
“Of all these murders we’ve never had a situation whereby a woman was murdered by another woman,” she said.
“We’ve never had rape cases whereby a boy got raped by a woman. All of these cases are men raping and killing women. But I don’t blame, what I appreciate is that we saw them (men) going out in their numbers marching against women abuse, saying Not in their Name, which means they want to make a difference, but the rapes and murders are a cause of concern here in Ermelo, ” the station commander said.
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She said in recent years they once had a case of a man arrested for the rape of his 6-year-old daughter.
The man was convicted and given a life sentence.
“When he came to me to make a confession after the arrest he said that one day the weather was very cold and the child was coming from school and he said embraced her and then started seeing the child looking like her mother and started raping her,” she said.
She called on the community to report any form of domestic violence in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, Child Justice Act and Children’s Act.
“If you feel you’re being abused apply for a protection order, don’t keep quiet until you’re killed,” Mavuso said.
She also warned mothers who neglect their babies to watch out as that is a crime punishable by 3 years imprisonment.
The prayer session was attended by religious leaders, Msukaligwa residents, pupils, politicians and government officials, including Msukaligwa mayor Solomon Nkosi and speaker Mapulane Nkosi as well as MMCs.
Cosas president Zama Khanyase also addressed and slammed the cops for assisting law-breakers get away with crime.
“This is wrong and it needs to stop,” Khanyase said while on stage.
“Citizens of South Africa needs to be protected, listened to and assisted when they report a crime,” she said.
(edited by ZK)
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