Three years after the brutal murder of two women in 2017, Popi Qwabe and Bongeka Phungula, justice is yet to be delivered for the senseless crime, Amnesty International South Africa said today. The organization has now elevated the case to its global letter writing marathon, Write for Rights Campaign, where members and supporters will send letters to the government to demand justice for the two.
“The case of Popi and Bongeka is emblematic of the alarming rates of gender-based violence in South Africa. Women are killed every day in South Africa and most of these cases don’t even make it to court,” said Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa.
“If the state is serious about gender-based violence, they must tell the world what happened to this case and why justice remains elusive.”
Popi and Bongeka were aspiring drama students. But their dreams of making it big as actors ended on one Friday night in May 2017. They were shot dead and dumped on the side of the road in Johannesburg. Two taxi drivers were subsequently arrested after they were found in possession of the women’s belongings. But police later released the two suspects citing lack of evidence and the case against the men was withdrawn pending further investigation.
The families of the two women claim the police failed to properly investigate the murder. A taxi containing the women’s bloodstains and belongings was found. While the blood was apparently analysed, the forensic department never released the results. The families further claim the police did not check for fingerprints and that the two women’s phones were never traced.
The increasing gender-based violence (GBV) rates in South Africa are a human rights crisis. According to Stats SA, the femicide rate in South Africa is five times higher than the global average. In June 2020 alone, 29 women were killed. In the past year, almost 144 sexual offences were committed each day, most of these being rape, resulting in a 4.6% increase in sexual offences.
“South Africa cannot continue to be a place where women continue to live in fear. The reality is that women are not safe in South Africa and authorities must take urgent measures to stop the impunity for gender-based violence, and ensure justice for survivors.” said Shenilla Mohamed.
Amnesty International is demanding justice for Popi and Bongeka, and is calling on Minister Bheki Cele, to launch a thorough and fair investigation into their murder. We are also calling for government to ensure that police officers are properly trained to sensitively and objectively investigate incidents of gender-based violence. This includes thorough training in the gathering and processing of evidence, thereby ensuring that cases can be successfully prosecuted.
Background:
The case for Popi and Bongeka was put forward by Amnesty International South Africa to be included in Amnesty’s global Write for Rights Campaign, which is the world’s biggest annual human rights event. Towards the end of every year, hundreds of thousands of Amnesty members and supporters from around the world write letters to governments demanding action for certain individuals whose human rights have been violated or abused. The campaign is a global moment that unites activists all over the world.
This campaign is seeking justice for all victims and survivors of GBV. The time for action is now. There is a human rights crisis in South Africa and we can no longer be complacent in our response.
Visit Amnesty.org.za to join our Write for Rights campaign and write a letter to Minister Bheki Cele demanding a thorough investigation of Popi and Bongeka’s case leading to a successful prosecution. It’s time to speak up and demand justice.
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Nabeelah Khan, Media and Communications Officer, Amnesty International South Africa: +27 (0) 64 890 9224; nabeelah.khan@amnesty.org.za
