Hon Speaker, the DA wishes to publicly condemn the recent violent sexual attack and rape of two women in a temple in Chatsworth, Durban. The women had gone to the temple early on a Saturday morning to prepare the place of worship for a Sunday service when they were approached by two men bearing weapons. The men forced the two women into different rooms inside the temple, raped them and then fled the scene.
Yesterday, I travelled to Chatsworth to meet the victims. Needless to say, the incident has been hugely traumatic for these two women. The brutality of the attack is accentuated by the fact that it occurred in a place of worship where people go to seek peace and tranquillity. These crimes are brought into stark relief considering the fact that this month is dedicated to honouring the position of women in our society.
Since November last year there has been a deeply concerning upsurge in violence against worshippers in temples and churches in the Chatsworth community. It is essential that the police in that area develop a comprehensive response to the situation by increasing visible policing efforts, making improvements to the monitoring of planned crimes involving places of worship, and working with local community policing forums to develop a detailed plan to curb the occurrence of this brutal type of attack. It must also be ensured that the suspects involved in this most recent incident face the full might of the law. Thank you.