On Heritage Day last Thursday, 18-year-old Moesha Magotha was punched repeatedly in the face, stabbed at least 20 times on her shoulders, arms and legs, and had a four-letter swear word carved onto her forehead.
At the weekend, a 17-month-old KwaZulu-Natal baby had boiling water thrown onto her by a family member in an alleged revenge attack over a dispute.
And then on Monday, a former Mpumalanga MEC was arrested at his home in connection with the rape of his two daughters.
Magotha is now fighting for her life in a hospital in Port Elizabeth while the man accused of defiling her face and attempting to snuff out her life sits temporarily in a jail.
The toddler has third-degree burns to her face and is being treated in a Pietermaritzburg hospital with her mother, who is being counselled by social workers and getting help in bringing charges against the man. More than 24 hours after the incident, he was still free.
The politician, who previously faced a rape charge which was withdrawn by the state, appeared alongside another male family member for the rapes of the two little girls.
Let those heinous images sink in as you imagine the horrifying pain and anguish they would have endured.
These are but two of dozens of incidents of brutal violence that stain our nation’s heritage. And as long as the blood of hundreds of women and children continue to spill over, the euphoria and jubilation over braaied boerewors, melktert and the Jerusalema challenge seems unpalatable and irreverent.
For many South Africans, the stories of Moesha and the 17-month-old toddler will be nothing more than a headline until tragically the violence hits closer to home or their circle.
And therein lies the problem. Gender-based violence (GBV) is everyone’s problem.
Choosing to skim over the ‘negative’ and ‘depressing’ stories in the media or keeping quiet about a family member, friend or colleague’s physical or verbal abuse because it’s not your business, perpetuates a culture for the toxicity to thrive and multiply unchallenged.
Choosing to skim over the “negative” and “depressing” stories in the media or keeping quiet about a family member, friend or colleague’s physical or verbal abuse because it’s not your business perpetuates a culture for the toxicity to thrive and multiply unchallenged.
For the sake of our country, we cannot afford for this tyranny to continue, literally.
In addition to the emotional devastation that will affect generations to come, the scourge of violence weighs heavily on our economy. We know that in 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa spent R1.6bn on GBV and femicide.
In a groundbreaking study that put a price tag on the cost of domestic violence in Lesotho, Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland said that analysts calculated that it cost the kingdom about $113m a year. The study was part of a wider Commonwealth initiative to encourage all countries to count the costs of violence against women and girls.
“All the data shows us that if we do not have peace in our homes we haven’t got a hope of having real peace in our world,” Scotland said in an effort for governments to take action.
In Lesotho, recommendations included training health staff, teachers and the private sector, improving data collection and enacting a long-awaited domestic violence bill.
Which bring the issue back home.
Two weeks ago, national assembly speaker Thandi Modise and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo issued a call to action to the public to take part in the submissions on three key laws to deal with GBV.
The public has been given until the end of September to comment on the the Domestic Violence Bill, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related) Bill and the Criminal and Related Matters Bill.
“Too many women are dying at the hands of their partners, relatives and acquaintances who are men they ordinarily should trust with their lives. While the law itself is not a panacea to all social ills - as the roles of men, communities and families are also key in this battle – we are confident that these pieces of legislation are our most critical, significant and boldest intervention in the war against gender-based violence.
“We must at all times challenge and work towards changing these harmful and backward social norms that have been used to justify women abuse. In our society, it is common to use women's choices, including their style of dress and sexual orientation, to justify male sexual entitlement and violence. This must come to an end!” said the presiding officers.
These are the laws, the tools that should serve as a shield against the tyranny of attackers. But tragically this deadline for public participation or scrutiny will pass with the majority of South Africans being none the wiser for a number of reasons.
And until we become a more civic-minded society when it comes to GBV, our heritage will continue to be stained in blood.
While the government has much to answer for in the inefficiency of our justice and police system in processing GBV cases, let’s be honest, we too need to wear a badge of shame.
