‘STOP WITHDRAWING GBV CASES’ – PLEADS MEC MORWENG
MEC responsible for the Portfolio of Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has pleaded with victims of Gender Based Violence and communities at large to stop withdrawing cases of gender based violence at police stations
Addressing hundreds of activists in Rustenburg prior to the March that was organised as part of build-up towards the official launch of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children at Rustenburg Civic Centre, Morweng said withdrawal of cases its a serious set back on government efforts to curb the pandemic.
“Victims come forth to open cases, and while the investigation is still on cause, they withdraw cases from police and there’s nothing we can do. We can’t refuse to withdraw because if there is no witness, we don’t have a winnable case.
With this march today, we plead with our victims and communities in general to join our efforts as government to bring all perpetrators to book, and. we can only achieve this when victims stop withdrawing cases.
We are 30 years of advancing collective action to end violence against women and children, but with the rate of withdrawal cases, we are taking more steps back,” said Morweng.
As a means of intervention and responding to the scourge, government continues to mobilise stakeholders and communities to work together to fight against gender based violence.
“We always make sure that our communities forms part of the solution. They are important stakeholder in the implemention of government programmes that are geared towards protecting women and children,” he said.
Government has an obligation to protect victims from intimidation and tampering. This is done through the Service Charter for Victims of Crime.
Therefore, to fuel the gains made against GBVF, government discourages victims from withdrawing cases against perpetrators.
“We need to allow the justice system processes to unfold for us to truly transform our society and bring this cancerous decease to an end,” concluded Morweng.
This year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children was officially launched by the country’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile at Rustenburg Civic Centre.
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