The transgender community has taken their plight to the Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
Executive director of Gender Dynamix, Advancing Transgender Human Rights, Liberty Matthysse, represented the LGBTQI+ community and said they were left disappointed that their recommendations were not highlighted enough.
Gender Dynamix (GDX) called on government to review how none of the statistics and numbers reflected by the South African Police for sexual offences, showcased what was happening to the LGBTQI+ community.
This week marked the fourth year since the adoption of the Presidential Summit Declaration and two years since the National Strategic Plan on GBV and femicide.
The aim of the summit was to “uphold the principle of accountability and to call for those tasked to account where not enough was being done”.
In his speech, President Cyril Ramaphosa said there had been an increase in sexual offence cases and that there was not a day that went by without the media reporting on crimes committed against women and children across the country.
“Data from the South African Police Service shows that sexual offences and rape increased by 13 per cent between 2017/18 and 2021/22,” he said.
“Between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 , there was a 52 per cent increase in the murder of women, and 46 per cent increase in the number of children murdered.
“Not a day goes by without a story in the newspapers, on television or online about a woman or child that has lost their life or been abused in the most horrendous manner.
“Since the rape and murder of 19-year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana in 2019 sparked mass marches around the country, there have been so many more women killed by men.
“Since then, the nation has been horrified by the brutal violence that took the lives of Tshegofatso Pule, Nosicelo Mtebeni, Hillary Gardee, Namhla Mtwa, Dimpho Skelenge and many other women.
“Innocents like Asithandile Same, Tshimologo Lotshabeng, Tazne van Wyk and Reagan Gertse have fallen victim to heartless criminals.”
Matthysse was among Cape Town activists such as Lucinda Evans, Celesthea Pierang, Reverend June Dolley-Major and Latifah Jacobs, who were part of the summit.
“Ending the Summit off on a disappointing note as most of our recommendations provided in the LGBTQI+ Caucus was not effectively summarised to reflect our priorities in plenary. It is clear that despite the acronym LGBTQI+ being used frequently in space, many people fail to understand the GBVF response through an LGBTQI+ lens. We will have to push hard to ensure that political commitment and strategy translates into real change for our communities. We have a long way to go to contextualise the implementation of the GBVF NSP to the realities and lives of LGBTQI+ people.
“I remain hopeful for change through continued action and work from LGBTQI+ civil society.”
Reverend Dolley-Major said they were tired of hearing the voices of government officials: “It was very emotional seeing the pictures of the women and children that died, but the issue that I had was that there as so much talking from government officials, who gave stats of what they did but not where they lacked.
“In the Western Cape, there was a three percent conviction rate for GBV, and how many were sentenced and convicted but what about the other 97 percent, why there were no convictions or sentences, we were not looking for officials to sing their praises and the president said we need to hold him accountable and that is what I will be doing.”
Humanitarian and women and children’s rights activist, Latifah Jacobs said the President had not kept to his promises: “I was at the first Summit and the memorandum was handed over to him with 28 requests and in 2019, he said will address the nation, that life sentences would be given to those who rape and kill with regards to GBV victims and no parole.
“He made that promise, he said it will be called a State of Emergency and the killing of women and children will become a priority and that the justice department would be strengthened, I want to ask, did the wind blow so hard, that the line that he created, the line of enough is enough, because nothing has happened, three women are killed daily.”