On the final day of 16 Days of Activism on Wednesday, December 10, a group of activists from Treatment Action Campaign Love 167, Médecins Sans Frontières, Gender Links, South Africa Care Workers Forum, Amnesty International, , and Sonke gathered outside the Sandton Convention Centre, where the Minister of Women in the Presidency, Susan Shabangu, was speaking at an R800-per-seat breakfast event to mark the end of #16Days. We were there with the intention of handing over to her a petition signed by over 1 400 people demanding a National Strategic Plan for Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.Minister Shabangus answers throughout the event were disjointed and without a clear vision for what she is proposing to do to end the violence. Letisike told the Minister that the way forward cannot be led by government alone, but must be inclusive, multi-sectoral and defined by those most affected and she requested that the Minister come outside to receive the petition from the activists, but she instead sent the Ministrys Director General Ms. Veliswa Baduza Outside of the breakfast, Rochelle Pimentel, a survivor and activist , shared her experience and her current work with Director General Veliswa Baduza supporting other survivors. In response to the Ministers comments, she said that, The young children, victims of rape I work with, couldnt make it here to Sandton this morning, couldnt afford the R800 to get a ticket inside the breakfast. So we are here to represent the demands of some of these survivors. I work with a small organisation on the frontlines. We need an NSP to be able to deliver the services required in communities.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 06:33:49 +0000