OPINION | WOMENS MONTH: A CELEBRATORY MONTH THAT IS FILLED WITH TRAUMATIC EVENTS

August, the month supposedly to be known to celebrate women, the month where women are to be showered with appreciation has now become one of many months where cases of gender- based violence and murder cases increase in South Africa.

The numbers increasing in during this month does not mean that during the other month’s cases of gender-based violence, murders of women and children and unsuccessful rape cases are not heard of.

According to @keeptheenergy, an Instagram page for all the fallen angels that lost their lives to gender-based violence and sexual assaults, “41 695 Rape cases were reported over the past year”. South Africa has indeed become a rape capital in the world each day it’s the same story but different victim.

An interview on the Minister of Police Services responding to the Krugersdorp rape cases circulated the internet as many were taken aback by his comment. Disappointed being an understatement judging by the read captions and comments under the @keeptheenergy post on the comment Cele made in the interview.

The post was captioned, “Yesterday, on the first day of Women’s month, Police Minister Bheki Cele said that one of the women who was raped in Krugersdorp last week was lucky to be raped by only one man”. This captioned continued to discard Cele as a reliable minister as rape cases continue to increase in the country and that he only focuses more on the alcohol consumption of South Africans.

About a week ago a traumatic incident dawned on about ten women who were sexually assaulted by multiple men. It is alleged that a gang of armed men forced themselves into the music shoot in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg and raped about ten women aged 19 to 35 on the scene.

As traumatic as it is, the reality lived by women and young girls in the country is nothing near to safe. It is underwhelming that each day a girl walking down the street is seen as the next victim to rape and murder.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“South Africa is desperate for your attention. Women are being attacked, sexually assaulted and murdered every day. The government response till now has been to offer empty words in presidential speeches while not working on preventing sexual assault in South Africa” said a post by @girlsgaintostoppression on Instagram.[/perfectpullquote]