South African communities embarked on a march, calling for justice as gender-based violence (GBV) continues to plague society. #JusticeForCwecwe, a trending hashtag in social media, sparked heated conversations about South Africa’s broken justice system.
Meanwhile, the long-standing case of Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso ended on Wednesday, 2 April 2025. This ignited more frustration and anger among South Africans.
Perpetrators of GBV continue to roam free as justice remains elusive
More often, children are violated by people meant to protect them. At the same time, children should feel safe and secure during their childhood.
Speaking to eNCA, Children’s Parliament President Khazimla Adam condemned South Africa’s broken justice system for failing to address the case of seven-year-old Cwecwe effectively. Despite reporting the rape to police in October 2024, Cwecwe’s mother saw no action taken for five months. This highlights systemic failures in law enforcement.
In yet another case, the ruling of Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso by the Eastern Cape High Court on 2 April 2025 has sparked widespread backlash, with many questioning the legal system. Omotoso and his co-accused, Zukiswa Sitho and Lusanda Sulani, faced 63 charges of rape and human trafficking.
However, all evidence brought to the court was deemed insufficient. Recent reports of these cases sparked anger and frustration among South Africans, taking it to the streets with a march.
GBV, an alarming concern
On 25 November 2024, South Africa’s Police Minister released the second-quarter crime statistics for the 2024-2025 financial year. The statistics revealed an 8.6 percentage point increase in the alarmingly high incidents of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and murder rate of women. This highlights the need for societal awareness and to act against GBV, femicide, sexual violence and murder.
The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology also commissioned a pivotal study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on 10 December 2024. The study presented by Dr Nompumelelo Zungu revealed that 7 310 389 women have experienced physical violence in their lifetime. This is 33.1% of all South African women aged 18 years and older.
Moreover, about 2 150 342, which is 9.9% of women, were revealed to have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. Further to this, the study found no significant difference in the prevalence of physical intimate partner violence among ever-partnered women with a disability (4.3%) and women without a disability (5.3%). The increasing cases of violence against women and children, as well as the alarming statistics, cause great concern.
What it means to be a woman in SA
South African women do not feel safe. It is a great betrayal that some of these crimes are carried out by those with whom the victims have close, personal relationships. In the past few years, women’s month celebrations resembled memorial ceremonies for the victims of some of the most horrific femicides and acts of violence against women. Yet this month, the country should be celebrating the countless victories of its women.
How can the justice system be held accountable?
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