Hundreds of people from KTC in Gugulethu gathered at the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) Hall on Wednesday 25 January to commemorate Orange Day.
The day is celebrated internationally on the 25th of each month.
It is designed to raise awareness against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
The event was organised by the Gugulethu police officers and the National Institute Community Development and Management (NICDAM) to raise public awareness.
NICDAM is a non-profit organisation (NPO) offering tailored training programmes and evidence-based interventions in the field of health, social development and education.
Some of the stakeholders that attended the event included the Gugulethu Community Policing Forum (CPF) and Gugulethu Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum (SCPF).
Gugulethu Police Station spokesperson Sgt Sindisiwe Ngqele said it is high time for the community to raise their voice against GBVF.
She described the GBVF as a pandemic that needed urgent intervention.
“Our aim is to conduct such events on a monthly basis in different areas within our sectors in Gugulethu. We can see that the number of GBV cases that are reported to the station on a daily basis is increasing. We can’t wait for Women’s Month (August) or 16 Days of Activism (16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign) to conduct such events,” said Ngqele.
She stated that they required whistle-blowers to report anything that was wrong in their communities.
“If you see your neighbour abusing his or her spouse, please report that to the police. Don’t wait till they injure each other. People need to take responsibility for looking at people around them,” said Ngqele, adding that their identity and information will be confidential.
NICDAM GBVF Hotspot social worker in Gugulethu Lindiwe Jeane stated that they have various hotspots in the province but they are focusing only on Mitchell’s Plain, Delft, Nyanga and Gugulethu. She said they aim to eliminate crime and GBV in the communities.
“We are working closely with the police. We do have shelters for GBV victims where we keep them for a certain period till they feel they are fine and are able to go back to where they live or have a new place to stay. Sometimes we also accommodate the children because we treat them as secondary victims as they are exposed to all the conflict that is happening in the family,” she said.
Resident Papa Khoamane praised the initiative.
“I like the fact that they emphasised that men are also victims. We need to see the same amount of energy that the police have when they are going to fetch a male perpetrator. They must have it when they are going to fetch a female perpetrator. Most men are reluctant to report GBV cases to the police because the community doesn’t encourage them, instead we laugh at each other,” said Khoamane. However, he urged men to stop abusing women and children.