Johannesburg - The North West Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) has echoed sentiments expressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa for harsher sentences to be meted out against perpetrators of violence against women and also to be denied bail.
The call comes after a video surfaced on Monday of a 33-year-old woman being brutally assaulted by a 39-year-old man inside the shop of a Shell Garage in Vryburg.
The movement’s Provincial Interim Committee convenor, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, said according to reports, the woman believed to be the man’s girlfriend, was reportedly found in the company of a male companion who was also allegedly assaulted by the man, as witnessed in the video circulating online.
Following the arrest of the man on Tuesday, Kgwele condemned in the strongest terms possible patriarchal tendencies that continued to manifest themselves through gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide targeted at the most vulnerable in our society.
In the 30-second-long video, a man can be seen walking into the shop, kicking and punching another man, and then chasing the woman, who is desperately trying to run away from the assault.
He eventually continues to pull her down and hit her repeatedly, no matter how hard she tries to cover herself or run away from him.
According to a police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Tryphosa Van Rooyen, Poloko Sekgopi appeared briefly in the Vryburg Magistrates Court following his arrest and was remanded in custody pending his court appearance on Friday for a bail application.
Kgwele called on men who were experiencing challenges in their relationships to seek professional help instead of taking matters into their own hands while also commending the woman for reporting the assault to police and adding that women were not punching bags or objects of abuse.
‘’Those who had kept quiet about such assaults in their homes and private lives end up dying in abusive relationships.’’
Kgwele emphasised that an attack on a woman during Women’s Month, when the country was supposed to be celebrating their collective achievements against triple oppression of race, class, and gender, including cultural and religious practises, was not only an atrocious act but unforgivable, as it undermined their human rights, dignity, and equality.
He added: “We call for united action against the scourge of GBV and femicide. Real men should protect women, model respect, as well as love to boy children as part of supporting the fight against domestic violence and the neglect of family responsibilities, whether due to substance abuse, cultural discrimination, or gender discrimination.”
The Star