WATCH | Women gather at Hillary Gardee's memorial and many ask: 'Am I next?'

06 May 2022 - 22:11
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“Am I next?” This was the question on every speaker's lips on Friday afternoon at the home of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee where a candlelight memorial service was held in honour of his slain daughter Hillary. 

Before the brief service, hundreds of women, joined by a few men, walked from Laerskool Laeveld singing struggle songs.

Arriving at the Gardee home, mourners lit candles, which they said represented hope and the light that they would like to leave at the Gardee homestead.

Mourners left candles of hope and light outside the Gardee home in Mbombela on Friday after a service held in honour of the slain 28-year-old Hillary Gardee.
Mourners left candles of hope and light outside the Gardee home in Mbombela on Friday after a service held in honour of the slain 28-year-old Hillary Gardee.
Image: Ziphozonke Lushaba

“Everyone of us here is worried and asks themselves if they are next. Women don't feel safe in the country and that should not be the case. We need to stand up and make sure that we put an end to this,” said Mbombela mayor Sibongile Makushe as she addressed mourners.

Makushe said she was not speaking as an official but as a family friend who knew the family well.

“Hillary was such a kind and generous young woman. She was one of the hardest working young people I know. She had big dreams and was putting in so much work to make them a reality,” Makushe said.

EFF deputy secretary-general Poppy Mailola said gender-based violence has become part of every woman's life in the country.

“Women live in fear and with every case reported, one wonders if they are next. This can't be the life of women in the country,” she said.

Commissioner at the Commission for Gender Equality Lindiwe Ntuli-Tloubatla shared the shocking statistics of gender-based violence (GBV) cases in Mbombela.

A group of women clad in black clothing, some in red and others in black doeks, gathered at the Gardee home in Mbombela as they carried candles in honour of slain Hillary Gardee.
A group of women clad in black clothing, some in red and others in black doeks, gathered at the Gardee home in Mbombela as they carried candles in honour of slain Hillary Gardee.
Image: Ziphozonke Lushaba

According to Ntuli-Tloubatla, more than 5,000 cases of GBV were reported in the Mbombela area in recent months. She also spoke about the backlog of forensic results.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. Victims and their families need to see justice being served speedily,” she said.

EFF and family spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the family had received no update from police, adding they were disappointed that police were failing to meet deadlines they had set for themselves.

This after they had announced a 72-hour operation to nab Hillary's killer. 

Hillary had gone missing after going on a shopping trip with her three-year-old adopted daughter on April 29. This was 6km from her home. 

Her daughter was found abandoned on a street about a kilometre from their residence. She told strangers who found her that her mother was “fighting” — signalling that there had been a struggle in which her mother was taken.

On May 2, Hillary's father took to social media to ask people to help locate her. The next day, Hillary's body was found in a field outside Mbombela by timber workers. She had been shot, apparently in the back of the head. 

Reports from the family were that Hillary had sent herself R1,300 after her abduction. 

The 28-year-old, who ran her own IT business, will be laid to rest on Saturday. 

Thambo called on those who planned to attend the funeral to keep it dignified. 

If you get told that the hall is full, please respect that and don't force your way in. We don't want Hillary's funeral to be a spectacle. We don't want any stampede,” he said.

He said the family wanted to give Hillary a dignified and fitting send-off that would reflect her generous and kind character.

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