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Johannesburg is among the worst cities in the country when it comes to the killing of women and children — and that should concern everyone.
Mayor Dada Morero made the remark at the public launch of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), adopted by the City of Johannesburg at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Friday.
Morero said the latest crime statistics painted a grim picture for the metro.
“The South African Police Service indicates that Johannesburg is amongst the highest cities nationally in GBV and sexual offences. We’re classified as a hotspot,“ he said.
“This narrative has to change because Johannesburg is our home, a land of opportunities. It depends on us to build safer communities.”
The city is part and parcel of a national fight against GBV and femicide. We are here to say enough is enough and to stop the bleeding
— Dada Morero, Joburg mayor
Morero said the city could no longer stay silent while women and children were killed daily.
“The city is part and parcel of a national fight against GBV and femicide. We are here to say enough is enough and to stop the bleeding.”
The strategy focuses on:
- preventing violence;
- supporting survivors; and
- strengthening enforcement and accountability across all city departments.
He called for a united front, urging all departments, law enforcement agencies and the taxi industry to play their part.
The launch was also marked by painful testimony from GBV survivor Disele Mokgatle, who said she was married to a prison warden at the age of 21 and now lived with permanent scars.
“I live with a permanent scar after tearing a muscle on my right hand. On that day I tried running away and I was injured trying to push a sliding door,” she said.
Victims also need protection from family, she added.
TimesLIVE
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