Church stands firm against abuse and calls on police to combat child rape
Reverend Miseka Mapukata adresses protestors after the memorundum handover to the Gugulethu police on Saturday.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Close to a hundred members of the Girls and Bafana Friendly Society, under the Diocese of Cape Town Anglican Church, marched to the Gugulethu police station on Saturday, August 30, to hand over a memorandum calling for urgent action against gender-based violence, child abuse, and crimes against people with disabilities.
Starting at St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church, the peaceful march was led by church leaders who voiced frustration over the surge in abductions, rapes, and killings in Cape Town’s townships. Many protestors said police are failing to protect the most vulnerable.
Carrying placards that read "No to abuse, No excuse for rape, Stop GBV, Justice for all", the group demanded accountability and justice.
Sergeant Nomasomi Zekevu, accepted the memorandum from Reverend Miseka Mapukata on behalf of Station Commander Colonel Soyiso Mantyi while Warrant Officer Bongani Sangqu looks on from the back
Image: Phiri Cawe
Reverend Miseka Mapukata described the situation as dire. “Numerous cases of women and children are being murdered by those meant to protect them. A six-year-old girl from Khayelitsha was killed by her parents, and a three-month-old baby in Manenberg was shot by a stray bullet. Recently, a woman's body was discovered in a wheelie bin. These incidents are heartbreaking, and we are deeply pained by the rise in gender-based violence and killings. We, as women, children, and disabled individuals, deserve protection,” she said.
Reverend Mapukata urged the police to thoroughly investigate cases of killings, rapes, abductions, and gender-based violence. “We want the law to take its course. These cases must be investigated, and we deserve to know the outcomes. Perpetrators must be held accountable,” she insisted.
The Girls and Bafana Friendly Society, under the Diocese of Cape Town Anglican Church, united in a peaceful march to deliver a memorandum of grievances to the Gugulethu police.
Image: Phiri Cawe
Community member Nobuntu Mthiyane said that police often complain about a shortage of vehicles, but that should not hinder their fight against crime. She called for a functional protection unit within the community.
Another resident, Bantu Adams, urged the police to intensify their investigations into all gender-based violence cases and called on men to take a stand in protecting women. He said that those suspected of involvement in the rape and murder of young girls should be arrested.
Warrant Officer Bongani Sangqu, accompanied by Sergeant Nomasomi Zekevu, accepted the memorandum on behalf of Station Commander Colonel Soyiso Mantyi. They told the community that the police would address the demands made by the residents.