Violence against women isn’t inevitable or natural: TUT vice-chancellor Maluleke

The Tshwane University of Technology is looking into ways to preserve the memory and legacy of slain third-year student Ntokozo Xaba.

Vice-chancellor Prof Tinyiko Maluleke on Thursday said this will be done in ways that will revitalise the institution's commitment to eradicate gender-based violence.

“We have begun our consultations, and once the processes have been completed we will make announcements in this regard,” he said.

On Thursday, emotions ran high as students and staff of the university gathered at a special memorial service held at the university's Soshanguve South campus in Xaba's honour.

The 21-year-old Xaba was found stabbed to death at the campus residence, the alleged murderer her ex-boyfriend, rugby player Ngcebo Thusi.

“She was murdered in the safest possible place she could have been. Her only home away from home, her room at Ekhaya Junction residence. Not even the protection orders which some women keep in their handbags have been able to protect them from being killed,” Maluleke said.

He said her death was a tragedy and a serious setback for the valiant institutional efforts.

“It is like the knife that stabbed her stabbed right through all of us and all of our efforts. Given the pain in our hearts, we may be tempted to become discouraged. We may even begin to question both our effort and intentions in the struggle against GBV, but we dare not allow ourselves to be despondent. We dare not resolve to the familiar refuge of the blame game and finger-pointing.

“For Ntokozo’s sake and her honour we have no choice but to double down on our push for zero tolerance for GBV,” he said.

He called on societies to stand up against GBV and said the institution, in collaboration with the police, had established an anti-gender-based violence desk at the arts and design faculty.

“Every killing of a woman, every murder of a female student, is nothing but an act of terror intended to bring us into submission so that we accept the logic and the evil of the supremacy of violence against women and children. We are being tempted to accept that as a normal part of our lives in this country.

“Violence against women is not inevitable. Violence against women is not a natural disaster. It is a crime. It is a crime systematically and frequently committed by men in a societal culture that not only tolerate the crime but sometimes encourages it. That is truly what we are up against.

“For Ntokozo’s sake we dare not let the killers win. We as an institution of higher learning, and as a society dare not succumb to the treacherous cowardly and debilitating logic of GBV,” he said.

They were expected to appear in court on Friday.

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