A study reveals that South Africa has the highest femicide rates. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane /AFrican News Agency(ANA)
South Africa continues to have some of the highest femicide rates in the world. This is according to the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Gender and Health Research Unit, latest results from their fourth national femicide study.
The results were released on Wednesday.
Chief specialist scientist at the SAMRC Gender and Health Research Unit Professor Naeemah Abrahams said the report covered four surveys from 1999 to 2020/21 the first year of Covid-19, highlighting an increase in intimate partner femicide and a decline in convictions.
She said the worsening of the situation during the pandemic raised an alarm.
She said the SAMRC report was based on a thorough review of mortuary files, autopsy reports, and interviews with police investigators.
“Missing data on perpetrators has increased over the years, resulting in more cases going unresolved,” she said.
The report revealed that 60% of women in 2020/21 were killed by an intimate partner, an increase from previous years.
It found that despite a drop in femicide during the pandemic’s alcohol ban periods, intimate partner femicide increased.
It was also revealed that convictions also dropped, with fewer than 1 in 5 intimate partner femicide cases resulting in a conviction.
The study results showed that women’s chances of receiving justice significantly decreased, with more cases of unidentified perpetrators,
“Femicide is preventable. Yet, in South Africa, reports of another femicide have become the new normal. We must address this crisis with urgency, especially given the sharp rise in intimate partner femicide during the pandemic.
The fact that conviction rates are so low, and the number of unsolved cases is growing, should be a resounding call to improve our justice system’s response to gender-based violence,” said Prof. Abrahams.
She said intimate partner femicide now accounted for 60.1% of all femicide, and 1 in 6 women killed showed evidence of sexual violence.
The Eastern Cape recorded the highest number of femicide in the country while Gauteng saw a significant increase in cases during 2020/21.
“In contrast, provinces like the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State saw slight decreases, though these differences were insignificant,” she said.
KwaZulu - Natal results were not featured in the report.
Prof. Abrahams said femicide was not just a criminal justice issue but it reflected deeply rooted societal inequalities and required a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to prevent and reduce it.
Just this week six women were reported to have been killed, four at Umvoti Local municipality, one at Danhausser, and another in Pongola.
Matsia Sekokotla, from Pongola, was employed by the Umgeni - Uthukela Water, based in Richardsbay.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda the SAPS provincial spokesperson said her body was found lying on the N2 on Monday.
“The victim sustained gunshot wounds to the forehead, the motive for the killing is unknown. However, police in Pongola have opened a murder case,” said Colonel Netshiunda.
Sunday Tribune