WOMEN ARE MARCHING FOR THEIR LIVES

AS THOUSANDS of women march across South Africa today to protest the relentless tide of gender-based violence (GBV), President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared it a national disaster. The call for urgent action has never been louder. The statistics are shocking: every day, around 15 women are murdered, beaten, or left for dead. Yet, the silence from those in power is deafening.

- LIESL VAN DER SCHYFF and SHELLYN HUTSON

Take the tragic case of Hermalise Wenn, who was allegedly beaten and stabbed to death by Clinton Moses, 35, on October 19, despite having a protection order against him. This heartbreaking incident shows the failures in our system, where even legal measures meant to protect women can be useless. How many more lives must be lost before we see real action?

President Ramaphosa has made bold promises in the past about GBV. Yet, little has changed in enforcement or accountability.