The forgotten policy meant to curb abuse

A policy meant to assist women when reporting domestic abuse, commissioned three years ago, is gathering dust in the police minister's office.

Between August 2014 and March 2015, the Civilian Secretariat for Police had consultations in the provinces with government departments and civil society organisations.

The policy was drawn up from those engagements.

Lisa Vetten, a gender activist and researcher who was part of the team who worked on the policy, said this week she wondered if any lives could have been saved in the past two years had the guidelines been rolled out at police stations.    

"The policy had a whole section on statistics. It has never been made public or released," said Vetten. "The policy was meant to address some of the issues on reporting the crimes [and] how officers are supposed to assist, but clearly it has not been put into effect."

Vetten believes that, without credible statistics on femicide and domestic violence, it is difficult for the public to understand the problem around violence against women and children.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula's spokesman, Vuyo Mhaga, agreed, saying the policy set out training required to ensure officers, volunteers and anyone else dealing with victims were able to provide assistance to victims. He did not explain why the policy had not yet been implemented.    

'SA is a country at war with its women'

Four women paid the ultimate price at the hands of their intimate partners, highlighting the scourge of femicide.

ONELA MGWEBI

Sole breadwinner and mother to a two-year-old girl, Onela Mgwebi, 27, loved cooking and singing. She died after being stabbed last month, allegedly by her boyfriend, in the flat she rented in Mzamba, near Port Edward.

Onela's mother, Nowina Mgwebi, said she had never met the boyfriend, who is behind bars, awaiting trial for murder in the Bizana Magistrate's Court.

Onela's sister, Abongile, said the man accused of killing her sister, Bonginkosi Miya, had allegedly abused her since 2015 when they started dating. "Back in 2015 . .. he wanted Onela to walk him home. She said she was tired and he left, but he was hiding . .. As soon as Onela's phone rang he came inside and started screaming that she didn't want to walk him but had the time to talk to men on the phone." Miya had dragged Onela outside and beaten her.

"The night she was killed she sent me a WhatsApp saying that she was going to lay charges against Bonginkosi."

But it was too late.

Police captain Edith Mjoko said: "The boyfriend went to her house at about 10pm, suspecting she was cheating on him. He allegedly stabbed her eight times ... He has confessed."

NICOLA PIENAAR

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Pregnant Nicola Pienaar, 28, of Paarl "died alone" and was buried in a shallow grave. In January she disappeared and two weeks later her boyfriend of three months, Jacobus Oosthuizen, 32, was found with Pienaar's mother's car in Port Elizabeth.

Pienaar's friend Bonita Kilowan said she was last seen alive on January 5 when she left Paarl with her boyfriend.

"I was introduced to Jacobus about three weeks before the murder and we probably met him about four times," Kilowan said. "He always seemed like he had a great attitude. He was friendly and had good manners. Nicola wouldn't mix with someone who wasn't a good person."

Oosthuizen initially told police he and Pienaar had an argument on their way to spend a holiday in Port Elizabeth, so he dropped her off in Oudtshoorn and told her to go back to Paarl.

Evidence in court showed that Pienaar's stomach had been slashed open "as if she had a botched C-section" and she had been strangled. She had been five months pregnant.

Oosthuizen, who is charged with theft, fraud and murder, has said his relationship with Pienaar was marked by drug abuse.

TENJIWE JONAS

After years of abuse and being told to keep away from her family, Tenjiwe Jonas was killed, allegedly by her boyfriend, in front of witnesses who are now scared to testify about the murder.

Jonas's aunt Buyiswa Tshininda remembers the 37-year-old as a young, shy girl who fiercely loved her family.

"She had so much life when she was younger and had a great spirit in her shy and sweet way. She was approachable to everyone until she met this man," said Tshininda.

Jonas started seeing Patrick Samuel in 2012 and a few months later she began avoiding her family.

Tshininda said Jonas had once told her how Samuel was abusing her: "When he got drunk, he became something else. He once tried to stab my sister's husband."

Samuel is known in the community of Colleen Glen, in the Eastern Cape, as a scary man and, on May 14, his scary side revealed itself.

According to Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, Jonas was cooking a meal for Samuel at 2am after a night of drinking. "When he woke up he asked her about the food; they argued and he allegedly threw a knife at her and killed her," said Janse van Rensburg.

Tshininda said Jonas had told her last year that Samuel had poured boiling water on her breast and beat her. "No one can say they love you and then treat you like that," she said.

ANNELENE PILLAY

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A Durban mother's life has been hell in the six months since her daughter was gunned down, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend.

Annelene Pillay, 27, was killed in November, moments after she left her office in Rossburgh. A video of the shooting, captured on CCTV camera, went viral.

Annelene's estranged boyfriend, Tyrone Pillay, was arrested on suspicion of committing her murder and is due to appear in court again next month.

Annelene's mother, Charmaine, said she got chills every time someone mentioned her daughter's name.

"The entire family have had a tough time dealing with Annelene's death. We constantly think about her. You feel like you didn't do much, although she never spoke about how violent he was.

"As a mother, I blame myself for not helping her. She knew what a violent person he was," said Charmaine.

Her daughter was doing well as a customer care controller for a shipping and logistics company. The couple had been dating for eight years and broke up eight months before the killing.

Charmaine spoke to Annelene on the phone for about 10 minutes before she was gunned down.

"She called to say she was scared. And said: 'What if I go to my car and he is standing there?' I told her to be strong and brave," said Charmaine.