Family of murdered student Zolile Khumalo march with thousands of women in Durban

The sisters of slain Mangosuthu University of Technology student Zolile Khumalo were among the thousands of women who took part in the #TotalShutdown women's march in Durban on Wednesday.

“We are here today to lend our voices and say women abuse must stop‚ enough is enough‚” said Senamile Khumalo.

Zolile was gunned down at her MUT residence in May‚ and her former boyfriend Thabani Mzolo has been charged with her murder.

A group of about 800 women, dressed in black and red‚ heeded the call to raise awareness and call for more action against gender-based violence.

“We are saying‚ yes‚ it’s Women's Month in August but we have nothing to celebrate because there has been a rise of femicide in South Africa and the normalisation of gender-based violence‚” said Ongezwa Mbele one of the Durban organisers.

Women of all ages took to the streets and marched to Durban’s city hall to hand over a memorandum to the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government. Among the key demands included the implementation of a national strategy on gender-based violence‚ the establishment of a gender-based violence service unit and harsher sentencing for perpetrators of gender-based violence.

Calling for justice to be served‚ Zolile’s sister Zama Khumalo said: “We want him to pay for what he did; we want him to get multiple life sentences. We want him to stay inside. We are saying no bail for Mzolo.”

Remembering her late sister‚ Senamile‚ said: “I thinks she would be very happy with what we are doing here today‚ and I know she is watching over everything that is happening.”

The memorandum was accepted by KZN education MEC‚ Mthandeni Dlungwane.

In Pietermaritzburg‚ about 200 women armed with placards called for the dismantling of patriarchy and the protection of women as they made their way through Pietermaritzburg to the KZN Legislature. They handed their memorandum to deputy speaker Meshack Radebe.

One women‚ Ncobile Shange‚ said she participated in the march to send a message to men who think they are “entitled to my body”.

Another Pietermaritzburg woman‚ Xoliswa Buthelezi‚ said she wanted to tell men that “her body was not a crime scene”.

“As women we are meant to be cherished and loved not abused and disrespected.”

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