Protection money paid to prevent girls from being raped points to collapse of law and order

PRESS RELEASE ON BEHALF OF 1000 WOMEN TRUST: 25th NOVEMBER 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wearing orange, hosting awareness events part of campaign to mobilize communities during 16 Days Wearing orange and hosting awareness events are part of the women-led organization 1000 Women Trust’s plan of action for 16 Days of Activism to mobilize community involvement to eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence, said Tina Thiart, co-founder of 1000 Women Trust. “Empower every voice: Unite for Change is the theme of 1000 Women Trust’s campaign during the 16 Days of Activism,” said Thiart. “The focus will be to encourage action at all levels of society and promoting support for change,” she said. “This year, 1000 Women Trust emphasizes the power of collective action and the importance of every individual’s contribution to end gender-based violence,” said Thiart. “We invite you to join us or be innovative, create a meaningful way of showing solidarity or making a difference in the communities. “A total of 7.84 million women in South Africa have been subjected to physical and sexual violence, according to the Human Science Research Council-findings of the first SA national gender-based violence study of 2022 released on Monday 18 th November 2024,” said Thiart. “In order to address this alarming situation, we need more community involvement,” said Thiart. “We are encouraging everyone to wear orange, the colour symbolizing a brighter future free from violence and sharing photos on social media with hashtags like #EmpowerEveryVoice and #UniteForChange.” The Trust also wants to partner with local businesses and government during16 Days. There are many ways that companies can raise awareness and encourage employees to engage in communities, said Thiart. One way might be to light up landmarks in orange in solidarity against gender-based violence. 1000 Women Trust is inviting communities to arrange social events or discussion groups during each of the 16 Days of Activism – to create a safe space to discuss gender-based violence, while wearing orange to show solidarity with victims of gender-based violence, said Thiart. “At social events, we want to encourage survivors to share their stories, either in person or through videos, to create awareness and inspire action,” Thiart said. 1000 Women Trust plan to host workshops during the 16 Days to prevent gender-based violence and promote human rights, in partnership with its GBV-Warriors. The Trust trained GBV-Warriors to assist victims of gender-based violence in the crucial 24 hours following an attack in order to offer safe spaces to the affected women and also assist them the following day to access Thuthuzela Care Centres or open a case at a police station. “We also will mobilize support during 16 Days for the GBV-Warriors though donations and volunteerism,” said Thiart. “We also aim to foster unity, a sense of community and collective responsibility in the eradication of gender-based violence and to grow the 1000 Women Network,” Thiart said. Thiart says 1000 Women Trust will kick-off the 16 Days of Activism-campaign by encouraging everybody to wear orange on Day One in solidarity against gender-based violence. Everyone of the 16 days will have a specific theme and call to action. On day 2 on 26 th November the theme will revolve around what to do when you suspect that a child is abused. Over 106 000 rape cases and 22,000 sexual assault cases involving children have been reported over the last six financial years, and therefore the community involvement is crucial to stop this, said Thiart. The community can help by looking for signs like physical injuries, poor hygiene, and behavioural changes like when a child is withdrawing or expressing excessive fear. You can report immediately by contacting your local child protection services, a social worker or the police, or visit the helpline of the Trust on 061-4690479. On the 27 th November 1000 Women Trust will discuss the key amendments to GBV-laws including the Criminal Law Amendment bill, ensuring that survivors are informed about their rights. On Day eight, or 2 nd December, the 1000 Women Trust will focus on how complainants can react when police officers refuse to open a case against perpetrators of GBV. Every person has a right to report a case and the police are legally obliged to open a case and investigate. The complainant can also write down the officer’s name and badge number and lodge a complaint with the independent police investigative directorate or other oversight bodies. Women who are refused assistance, can also liaise with 1000 Women Trust, and with their GBV Warriors who are expertly trained to assist them when dealing with uncooperative police officers. “We believe that through these actions on each day, we are assisting the community in challenging gender-based violence. “ For example, secondary victimization at police offices is one of the main reasons why law enforcement agencies do not form an effective deterrent against domestic violence,” Thiart said. The 1000 Women Trust is a South African organization that aims to end gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. To contact the Trust, send a mail to info@1000women.co.za or call the Trust on 061-4690479. Press release compiled by Fanie Heyns on behalf of 1000 Women Trust. For more information, contact Tina Thiart on 073-2079079.

HSRC’s findings of scale of GBV conservative due to women not reporting the crime’ Considerably more women experienced physical and sexual violence in South Africa than the 7,84 million that was revealed by the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) in its findings on the first South African National Gender-Based Violence study of 2022. That is because 60 % of SA women do not report gender-based violence for fear of secondary victimization, says Tina Thiart, co-founder of the women-led organization 1000 Women Trust. 33.1% of all women aged 18 years and older are vulnerable to physical violence in their lifetime, according to the HSRC-findings of the first SA national gender-based violence study of 2022 presented to minister Sindisiwe Chikunga on Monday 18 th November 2024. Among all women, 9.8% (an estimated 2 150 342 women) have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. The combined physical and sexual violence prevalence in the country is 35.5%, which translates to 7.84 million women. Thiart said that figure could be considerably higher. Many SA women simply do not report physical of sexual gender-based violence for fear of reprisal by their boyfriends or husbands, or because of the secondary victimization that these women face at police stations. “In 2020, 2021 and 2022, 1000 Women Trust, and the WE DARE-team (acronym for Women’s Equality; Digital Access and the Right to Expression), led by Prof Mollie Painter of the Nottingham School of Business, did research on multiple gender-based violence-related matters, including the patters of reporting by SA women. We established that 60 % of all women affected by gender-based violence, do not report the crime,” said Thiart. “Recently, a police-officer at the Delft Police station’s community service centre, for example, turned away a rape victim and demanded that the survivor brings a witness before a case can be opened, Thiart said. Dr Genine Josias, medical coordinator at the Thuthuzela Clinical Forensic Centre at the Karl Bremer Hospital, said on Facebook that a person reported the rape at the police station in Delft, a GBV-hotspot in the Western Cape. The police officer questioned why the victim waited so long to open a case and then told the survivor to bring a witness before the case can be opened. Apparently, the witness walked in on the crime but was not available to accompany the survivor to the police station, so the victim and the witness returned to Delft police station the following morning, Dr Josias said. She said these wrong actions by the police is not an isolated incident but happens repeatedly and affects rape-survivors as some of the traumatized victims might decide not to return the next day. “The police must open the case immediately and should not be asking rape survivors for witnesses. They also should not question why they waited 48 hours as many victims suffer severe trauma and don’t report it immediately.” said Dr Josias. “Often women who are unaccompanied, suffer at police stations and in many instances no case is opened by the police, Thiart said. That prompted1000 Women Trust to launch the GBV-Warriors-campaign to provide critical support to women and children severely impacted by gender-based violence, particularly within the crucial first 24 hours after an attack to ensure that there are safe spaces for women immediately after an attack. The GBV-Warriors, who have an astute knowledge of the rights of the victims, accompany these victims to the police stations, where, historically, GBV-victims have suffered secondary victimization, said Thiart. Dr Nadia Bernon, a GBV-Warrior of 1000 Women Trust and gender activist in KwaZulu-Natal, says secondary victimization at police stations are real. “That is why victims don’t even report cases because they have lost hope in the law and the way they are treated and that is why victims are now making civil society organizations that focuses on GBV their first responders. “The problem is that police stations don’t have a gender-based violence desk and few police officers and police vehicles strictly for GBV-related matters or incidents and they don’t make GBV-cases a priority. They give it less attention,” Bernon said. “Unless there is structural reform of the SA Police Service, the police will not act as an effective deterrent to perpetrators of gender-based violence,” said Thiart. The 1000 Women Trust is a South African organization that works to end gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. For more information, contact 1000 Women Trust on info@1000women.co.za or phone the Trust on 061-4690479.

Lottering: being a GBV-Warrior of 1000 Women Trust is a mission and calling “I cannot sit idle when I see the verbal, physical and emotional abuse of women in a gender based-violence-hotspot. I came out of a relationship with a man who had narcissistic traits and want to help other women who have to cope without the support of family,” says Marinda Lottering, GBV-Warrior of 1000 Women Trust in Beaufort-West. Lottering, who also runs the organization Movement of Hope, said she suffered physical, financial and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, and she ended up in a clinic. She divorced him. Now she considers it her mission to help women in a GBV-hotspot like Beaufort-West. “I often witness the pain of women who were subjected to brutal assaults and femicide and I cannot just witness that and do nothing about it,” Lottering says. She is a pivotal part of 1000 Women Trust’s nationwide Project Orange, offering a safe space and emergency accommodation in the critical 24 hours after an attack to women severely impacted by GBV. “If there is one thing all SA men should understand about GBV, is that so many grow up in a home in which the husband abused and battered his wife,” she says. “It was a relationship in which the husband acted as if he was the boss and had the power over her. And the woman stayed in that toxic relationship. We need to break this cycle because these wrong relationships are perpetuated from generation to generation.” Lottering said the change she wants to see in the community over the next five years, is that women should stand united. She also wants boys to be coached properly on how to treat women and girls correctly. The one challenge South Africa urgently needs to take head-on when it comes to GBV is to create safe spaces and havens for women severely impacted by GBV and to empower and up-skill these women to become independent. “We need this as we are operating in an environment where the police are not great, the police officers are not properly trained and too many officers protect male offenders,” she says. How can women join the fight against GBV? “Go to workshops and support groups where they are empowered, so that they can empower their communities.” Asked if she could have one meal for the rest of the life, what she would prefer, Lottering says: “I am a snack person. I love it, but I also enjoy vegetables twice a week.” Where would you travel to if you were allowed to, Lottering was asked: “I think Ireland, because there are opportunities to study for free.” Her dream for 1000 Women Trust is that the government would see the Trust for who they truly are. “They invest more in women than what the government did for many generations. The Trust needs support from government for the indispensable work that they do.” This October, let’s show up for survivors. Your donations of #paint, #cash, #toiletries, or #bedding to Lottering and other GBV-Warriors of 1000 Women Trust will go directly to furnishing these safe havens. Together, we can create real change during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #1000WomenTrust #SupportSurvivors #GBV #1000Women1Voice #ProjectOrange 1000 Women Trust is a South African Women's Rights Organisation dedicated to combating gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). For more information, contact the Trust on 061-4690479 or send an email to info@1000women.co.za .

GBV-Warrior Ngwenyana proposes monthly workshops to empower women Nomonde Ngwenyana from Lihle Liphuma is a GBV-Warrior whose tireless community work to assist victims of gender-based violence was kick-started when she saw kids on the streets needing mentoring and direction because their mothers were at home drinking. “A campaign like Project Orange to create safe spaces for women who are fighting abuse is so much needed to assist the community,” says Ngwenyana, a business-owner who empowers many other women. If she could give any woman one piece of advice, it would be to stand together in the fight against gender-based violence. “The police will laugh at you when you report your case. They will not follow up on your case unless you are dead. They are lazy,” she says. What she wants to see established over the next five years, is monthly workshops where women can groom one another to grow as persons and gain new skills, says Ngwenyana. “We require money to finance small projects that can help women with skills development,” she says. “Register on 1000 Women Trust, and get involved in small projects, especially in projects in which you are gifted with,” she says. Ngwenyana has acknowledged the work of Tina Thiart, co-founder of 1000 Women Trust, in mentoring her as a business owner, and she says she is now a proud owner of a seven-room home, where she previously had a house with only three rooms. The name Nomonde Ngwenyana in Nyanga-East is synonymous with Small Beginnings – a shop that sells fish and chips and Amagaga – chicken chunks. She also visits NGOs and schools that invite her to teach people and learners the skills to do beading independently. They pay her for that service. She has recently been contacted by a new NGO to visit them and share her considerable skills with them. Asked how she deals with setbacks, Ngwenyana says it is no use in pondering too long on setbacks. “It is important to get your mind of it at the end of the day, maybe have a glass of wine with your partner and relax,” she says. Asked what talent she has that assists her as GBV-Warrior to support women and offer them a safe space when they have been abused, Ngwenyana says: “One thing I have is that women come to me for advice and they listen when I speak to them. And I have the ability to mobilize them.” She says her dream for 1000 Women Trust is that it would grow and that it would help more women to become powerful. “And my personal dream is to offer more women work so that there would be almost no family without jobs, and therefore no jealousy,” she said. Postscript: It’s time to take real action beyond hashtags and slogans. South Africa has the 3rd highest rape stats— Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a crime, and we’re mobilising to fight back! The 1000 Women Trust is launching a collection drive to support our GBV Advice Offices in key hotspots across the country, as part of #ProjectOrange. We need paint—lots of it! Orange, Navy, White, Black—and supplies like brushes, terps, and trays to transform these offices into safe spaces for survivors. Can you help? This October, let’s show up for survivors. Your donations of #paint, #cash, #toiletries, or #bedding will go directly to furnishing these safe havens. Together, we can create real change during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #1000WomenTrust #SupportSurvivors #GBV #1000Women1Voice #ProjectOrange. 1000 Women Trust is a women-led organization focused on creating awareness of gender-based violence and femicide. For more information, contact the Trust on 061-4690479 or email the Trust on info@1000women.co.za .

Support required for GBV-Warrior Nadia Bernon as 1000 Women Trust creates safe spaces for women The gaps in service delivery and a lack of gender-sensitivity at police stations and courts hamper the work done to assist women who are survivors of gender-based violence, says Dr Nadia Bernon, GBV-Warrior of 1000 Women Trust and community activist at Newlands East in Durban. Dr Bernon is the founder and director of the Newlands East Humane Society NPO, Rapid Response Team Chairperson on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) – Newlands East, Board member of the KZN Civil Society Organisations Council (CSO) and a GBV-Warrior of 1000 Women Trust creating a safe space for victims of GBV in the critical 24 hours after an attack. “What is dearly needed, is that governmental service providers like the police and the courts need to be more gender-sensitive and they need to be trained to assist survivors of GBV,” says Dr Benon. “One of the solutions would be advice desks at courts and police stations,” said Bernon. “There also need to be more messaging about strengthening the prevention strategies so that gender-based violence is stopped before women are abused,” Dr Benon said. “Not all men are perpetrators but men need to be more gender-sensitive and support groups for men must be created. Many men have not dealt with their past hurts and trauma. In these support groups men must understand that real men do cry,” Bernon said. Bernon grew up in a activist’s home where stranger who were hurting, received help. Her own mother was abused by her father and that is where she developed a passion to support victims of GBV. Bernon said the monumental work done by 1000 Women Trust and its Project Orange to create safe spaces and structure to support women badly affected by GBV, needs financial support from government. “I would like to see this work expanded so that it gets a national footprint more and more,” Dr Bernon says. Dr Bernon is one of several GBV-Warriors who have been working for years and who have made a lasting impact on their communities. They are on the frontlines, combating gender-based violence and creating safe spaces for their neighbours and their neighbours’ neighbours. This October, let’s show up for survivors, for the GBV-Warriors and for Project Orange. Your donations of #paint, #cash, #toiletries, or #bedding will go directly to furnishing these safe havens. Together, we can create real change during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #1000WomenTrust #SupportSurvivors #GBV #1000Women1Voice #ProjectOrange. The 1000 Women Trust is a women's organizations that aim to raise awareness around Gender-Based Violence, rape and abuse and mobilize resources. These resources make it possible for us to assist women-led organizations with grants and skills development. For more information, contact the Trust on 061-4690479. Or mail the organization on info@1000women.co.za

Police, court dragging their feet to deal with perpetrator of brutal attack on Monaise There has been no justice for Goitsemang Rebone Monaise since a brutal attack by a former family friend which was reported to the police in July 2023. The man attempted to strangle her and also headbutted her. She had to acquire a protection order to safeguard her from more possible attacks. Yet, since the assault with the purpose to inflict serious bodily harm, the case was postponed 10 times and no progress was made, despite overwhelming evidence linking him to this heinous crime, and the presence of friends who witnessed his violent crime. “He was a family friend and we briefly dated when we were in our 30s,” Monaise recalled. “One day in July last year, he made unwanted advances and I told him I am not interested. Subsequently, while I was outside a store with another friend of mine and him, he manhandled me, shoved me to the ground on the pavement side and strangled and choked me till I was running out of air,” she said. “When I recovered from that attack, I went home to fetch his bag and once inside the yard, he grabbed me by my left arm and headbutted me violently. “He also grabbed my hair hard and hung on to my dreadlocks and a friend of mine was not able to help me. I was dazed and in deep pain. I immediately reported the case and also got a protection order against the attacker,” Monaise said. “I did everything in my power and has been sent from pillar to post with no progress made in the case. I have contacted the investigation officer at least 10 times since July. The police seem to underplay the situation and even questioned why I called this gender-based violence as there was no bleeding,” said Monaise. “The attacker then laid a counter charge against me and was granted a protection order against me. I did not even touch him. If I did not lay a charge against him, he would have done nothing,” she said. “The case has just been postponed for an 11 th time until the 11 th November 2024,” said Monaise. Tina Thiart, co-founder of the women-led organization 1000 Women Trust, said one of the main reasons why 53498 sexual offences were reported to the South African Police Services between April 2022 and March 2023 with rape accounting for 42780 of these cases, is that government is lacking the political will to eradicate gender-based violence and femicide. The time between when a case was reported to the police and when a perpetrator is finally convicted of a gender-based violence and femicide related crime is usually five or six years because of the shoddy investigative work by the police and the lack of action by the courts. And because the police and the courts are not pro-active and do not act as effective deterrent against sexual crimes, the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide continue to plague women in South Africa, she said. “What happens to Goitsemang, is a microcosmos of what happens to most women who are victims of gender-based violence. That is one of the reasons why 1000 Women Trust has launched Project Orange and the GBV-Warriors, to assist women attacked by perpetrators of gender-based violence in order to liaise effectively with service providers like the police and the courts in the 24 hours after an attack. “We will follow up on the case of Goitsemang and will put pressure on the investigative officer in association with our sister organizations in Gauteng to ensure that there is not a further postponement to her case,” Thiart said. The 1000 Women Trust is a South African organization that works to end gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. The organization's mission is to empower women and girls through education, resources, and training. For more information, contact the Trust on 061-4690479 or email us on info@1000women.co.za .

Executive leaders in Free State in awe of 1000 Women Trust and GBV-Warriors, says Setlogelo “I got attracted to the GBV Warriors and Project Orange through the way 1000 Women Trust capacitated women at grass roots level,” said Thuto Setlogelo, deputy director of risk management at the department of the Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Setlogelo is a GBV Warrior of 1000 Women Trust and an avid supporter of the work that has been done by Tina Thiart, co-founder of the Trust, in the Free State and nationwide. She said the trauma training done by 1000 Women Trust and the pamphlets on bullying has touched the lives of many leaders in executive positions in the Free State. “And the concept of GBV Warriors introduced by 1000 Women Trust has had magistrates, executive majors and community police force members in awe and have had them wanting to come on board as well as GBV-Warriors,” said Setlogelo. “The community work that I did and the national strategic plan on gender-based violence and femicide triggered an interest in me and made me come to the realization that we need to create safe spaces for women in the community affected by GBV. “And that is exactly what the GBV-Warriors of 1000 Women Trust do. We create safe spaces for women in dire need of attention and assistance,” said Setlogelo. There is a lack of knowledge on bullying, the different types of femicide and gender-based violence and that is where 1000 Women Trust plays a pivotal role. Expanding the Trust’s work to all provinces and handing over certificates for newly appointed GBV-Warriors truly touches the lives of many people, Setlogelo says. “I think we need to print more pamphlets on GBV like the ones we have on bullying and share them with victims as it really is transformative,” she adds. Setlogelo is one of the GBV-Warriors on the front line, combating gender-based violence, supporting survivors, and creating safe spaces in their communities. These dedicated women provide resources, guidance, and hope to those most in need. This November, the 1000 Women Trust is launching a collection drive to support our GBV Advice Offices in key hotspots across the country, as part of #ProjectOrange. Project Orange revolves around creating safe spaces in a room or a house where women severely affected by violence in GBV-hotspots can turn to a GBV Warrior to assist her in the critical first 24 hours after an attack. We need paint—lots of it! Orange, Navy, White, Black—and supplies like brushes, terps, and trays to transform these offices into safe spaces for survivors. Can you help? Our GBV Warriors on the ground in Durban, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Beaufort West are ready, but they need some love and support. Even if you can only share this message, that could be the spark that connects us to the right person. This November, let’s show up for survivors. Your donations of #paint, #cash, #toiletries, or #bedding will go directly to furnishing these safe havens. Together, we can create real change during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #1000WomenTrust #SupportSurvivors #GBV #1000Women1Voice #ProjectOrange. 1000 Women Trust is a South African organization that works to end gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. The organization's mission is to empower women and girls through education, resources, and training. For more information, contact 1000 Women Trust on 061-4690479 or send an email to info@1000women.co.za .

Philanthropist Wendy Ackerman, also a co-founder and long-time trustee of the women-led organization 1000 Women Trust, will receive an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University (SU) at upcoming graduation ceremonies in December 2024. “Mrs Ackerman is a legendary activist in the gender-based violence sphere through her tireless work to support survivors of gender-based violence, her unwavering support of 1000 Women Trust as a co-founder and trustee and the financial support by her and her late husband Raymond to the famous annual lunches to empower women,” said Tina Thiart, of 1000 Women Trust and a co-founder of the organization. “Wendy played a pivotal role in founding the idea of 1000 Women Trust and had been one of the pillars of the Trust and of the #HearMeToo-movement for two decades. We are immensely proud of her achievement and warmly congratulate her on this prestigious honour that is bestowed upon her,” Thiart said. Ackerman’s philanthropy has spanned over several decades, with her consistent support benefitting women, children, and the arts for more than 40 years. She will receive the degree Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), honoris causa. The Ackermans helped build one of the country’s pre-eminent FMCG retailers, Pick ‘n Pay, consisting of around 2 000 stores and employing around 90 000 people, according to Cape Business News. As one of the founders and Honorary Life President of Pick n Pay stores, her work to empower and promote women has been a hallmark of her efforts at Pick n Pay. She was instrumental in getting women recognised as senior, career-oriented employees in the 1970s, seen at the time to have been too progressive for some companies. Now devoting much of her time to her family’s philanthropic endeavours and work for the underprivileged and vulnerable, she continues to fight for women’s rights today. She is involved in several education initiatives, but her greatest passion is the support she gives to promising students, particularly music students. She has run bursary schemes since 1973 and her graduates have achieved outstanding success, some performing at the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world. She is also a Trustee of the Pick n Pay Bursary Fund which assists children of employees. The 1000 Women Trust is a Women's Organizations that aim to raise awareness around Gender-Based Violence, rape and abuse and mobilize resources. These resources make it possible for us to assist women-led organizations with grants and skills development. For more information, contact the Trust on 061-4690479 or email us at info@1000women.co.za .

PRESS RELEASE ON BEHALF OF 1000 WOMEN TRUST: 10 TH OCTOBER 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‘Eight bride burnings in Free State in 2024 an indication of disturbing trend’ Eight women were killed through bride burnings by jealous husbands or boyfriends in the Free State in the first nine months of 2024, an indication that this brutal femicide is becoming a disturbing trend, and government will have to deal with it decisively, said Tina Thiart, co-founder of 1000 Women Trust, a women-led organization creating awareness of gender-based violence in South Africa. 1000 Women Trust regularly hosts trauma training in Bloemfontein for members of the community and is conducting anti-bully courses in several hundred Free State Schools. “We are deeply disturbed and concerned by the brutal killings of women in the Free State by their husbands or boyfriends through what is commonly known as bride burnings,” said Thiart. “In some of these cases, the killer did not want the woman to end a toxic relationship and he falsely accused her of infidelity,” Thiart said. “These so-called bride burnings have also now spilled over to other provinces. On Saturday 5 th October, a woman was set alight and killed by her boyfriend in Tembisa,” Thiart added. “These bride burnings are not related to dowry death (common in the Indian subcontinent) where a woman is murdered by her husband or his family for her family’s refusal to pay additional dowry. These bride burnings are purely motivated by anger and hate when a woman ends a relationship, or when a man raped a woman and he thinks that by burning her he can conceal ‘evidence’,” Thiart said. “Government will have to demonstrate that they have the political will to deal with these femicides. Firstly, by denying the alleged offender bail, and secondly by double life sentences without early parole,” Thiart added. “The femicide rate in South Africa just underlines that this is one of the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman. The murder rate for women has increased from 10 murders per 100 000 women in 2021 to 13 per 100 000 in 2023,” Thiart added. In 2021, 3121 women were reported killed, an average of 8.6 per women a day. In 2023, that number increased to 3880, an average of 10.6 women a day. The first quarter of 2024/2025 saw 966 women and 314 children murdered – a statistic that underscores the failure of our government to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. These figures translate to 11 women and three children being murdered every day, Thiart said. “The scale of gender-based violence in South Africa – there are 170 sexual assaults per day – is so comprehensive that 1000 Women Trust is training 250 GBV Warriors in hotspots around the country to assist women affected by GBV in the first 24 hours after an attack,” Thiart said. Thuto Setlogelo from the Free State Cooperate Governance and Traditional Affairs department, who also is a GBV-Warrior in collaboration with 1000 Women Trust, said in some cases the offenders who burned his bride beyond recognition, thought that he could conceal evidence by this heinous act. “We have heard that the offenders often used flammable substance like methylated acid to burn the victims,” she said. Setlogelo said societal and cultural factors contribute to femicide. One of the underlying factors in the femicide in the Free State is patriarchal norms and gender inequality. The objectification of women also plays a role, while the normalization of violence against women is another factor. “I believe the cultural acceptance of violence as a means of conflict resolution is a key factor in the killing of women by their intimate partners in South Africa,” Setlogelo said. She said substance abuse, jealousy and insecurity as well as possessiveness and control are some of the relationship factors that could play a role in the brutal femicide by burning. Press release compiled by Fanie Heyns on behalf of 1000 Women Trust. For more information, contact Tina Thiart on 073-2079079 or visit the website on www.1000women.co.za .