Durban - Deputy President David Mabuza said men needed to answer for the country’s increasing rate of femicide, child murder and rape.
Mabuza, speaking at the launch of the Takuwani Riime National Men’s Summit in Durban on Friday said the rate of gender-based and other forms of violence in the country was not the kind of society that they had envisaged in the years leading to democracy.
Takuwani Riime is a Tshivenda expression meaning “let us stand up together”.
Mabuza speaking to women who marched in the country on August 1 in a campaign against all forms of gender-based violence, said President Cyril would honour his plans and the demands of a memorandum, to host a Women’s Summit.
This summit will be held on August 31.
“To those women who marched and presented a memo to the president, the president has agreed that the summit must happen. It is my responsibility to ensure that the summit will happen. No one can stop it. This is a matter that needs all of us. We must confront it.
Video: Kuben Chetty/Political Bureau
Mabuza said there was a willingness from government to implement legislation to protect women and children.
Video: Kuben Chetty/Political Bureau
Mabuza told the audience that the country’s femicide rate has been increasing over the last five years. “In the last year alone we have lost 2639 women lives. These are lives that leave motherless children; deaths that rob families of their daughters; a socio-economic crime that robs us of a potential contribution of 1% of GDP.”
Video: Kuben Chetty/Political Bureau
Mabuza said only 1 in 3 murders are detected by the police.
“This implies that the figure could be as high as 9 000 women killed every year, in the past five years.
“Men in South African have to meet - because men in South Africa rape. They rape women and children, the old and disabled, the LGBTI and other vulnerable groups. “