South Africa: The failure to protect women cannot continue

In response to the killing of at least six women killed in the last two months in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said:

“The discovery of a sixth body of a woman is just another horrific reminder that women in South Africa are not safe. Women in South Africa continue to be hunted and denied the most basic right to life and security of the person.

The fact that women continue to die at the hands of strangers or intimate partners is because the criminal justice system is often not responsive to the context in South Africa and the threats women and children face every day. With the police under the microscope at the Madlanga Commission, this is the moment for the state to design a policing system that is responsive and yields results rather than consistent failures.

Women being told not to walk or run alone is not the answer, and is not protection. Women should not have to bear the burden of being constantly vigilant to protect themselves from violence. Women are tired of platitudes. We want to know what is going to be done to make women and children safe in South Africa. We do not only want condolences, we want action.”

Background

Six women’s bodies were found in and around Kempton Park and the broader Ekurhuleni area in less than two months. One of the women has been identified as 38-year-old runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, who left her eight-year-old daughter at home to go for a run and never returned. The Gauteng Department of Health said three bodies remain unidentified at the Germiston mortuary.