Violence on women peaks as 16 Days ends

As the 16 Days of Activism Campaign draws to an end, harrowing reports of women being targets for murder are dominating the news.

In the Western Cape this week the body of a 31-year-old was found in communal toilets in Khayelitsha, a 23-year-old Philippi woman was shot repeatedly in the head and a 22-year-old LGBT activist was kidnapped and killed.

The police have voiced concern.

"These incidents are deplorable in the light of the 16 Days Campaign Against Violence on Women and Children and are taken seriously by the police.

"The SAPS is not deterred and will intensify our efforts to arrest and bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book," said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.

Gender violence researcher Lisa Vetten said it was impossible to say whether violence against women was intensifying because of a lack of research available.

"In addition to a lack of research, there's also a lack of police statistics," said Vetten.

"There isn't one solution to these issues, many things need to happen. Upheavals in bureaucracy make things more difficult because corruption takes money away from things like shelters and support centres," she said.

Noluvo Swelindawo, a friend of the murdered LGBT activist, claimed she saw the woman's alleged murderer, Sigcine Mdani, assaulting her at a party on Friday. Her body was found on Sunday.

The woman, who asked to be identified only as Joy, said: "First they had a small fight and then they moved to another location where he beat her up. On Saturday she called her brother, telling him she had been beaten up.

"Her brother came to intervene and tried to find out what happened. The accused's family attacked him at their home. While he was being attacked she was being kidnapped."

Zuko Mnukwa, chairman of the LGBT organisation Driftsands Youth in Action, said she felt betrayed by the community.

"These are people we know, people we live with in the same community so there are a lot of emotions right now," said Mnukwa.

Mdani's bail application is due in the Blue Downs Magistrate's Court on December 21.

A 27-year-old man is set to appear in court today for the murder of the Khayelitsha woman.