Minister, have been subjected to gender-based violence before and during the lockdown. Mrs Retabile Pakela was raped in her house in the early hours. Mrs Rebecca Simbane was burnt by her partner in Marikana and she could not report or open a case to the police due to the regulations that made it very difficult for everyone to go out of the house. What plans has your department put in place to protect our women? How do you ensure that they get justice? Thank you Deputy Speaker.
The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY FOR WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES: We do work with women who are not in government, the social sector who assist these vulnerable women and accompany them to report the cases. We became aware that while the lockdown is meant to protect the lives of the women it was almost like they were sent into the slaughter houses. Working together with those women in the UN which is a woman body gave us strategies on how to get these women out so that the case does not just become a case only reported by phone and that is all.
We will be meeting again next week in the IMC to make sure that we make progress in this regard. We prefer to rather get the perpetrator out of the home because wherever the mother is, she is with the children and family. So, we will be reminding colleagues that if the perpetrator is the one that is making life hell for this people who are not there not because they want to but because of the situation of life and death that was brought by this pandemic, it is the perpetrator who should leave the peaceful people alone. Thank you.