KZN taxi industry, government join forces to fight Gender-based violence
KwaZulu-Natal’s premier said his government and law enforcement are pulling out all the stops to protect the women of Mthwalume.
The community says it took too long to arrest a suspected serial killer in the area.
The bodies of five women have been discovered there over the past few months.
In an unrelated incident last week, the body of a woman was found in a sugarcane field, burnt beyond recognition.
Premier Sihle Zikalala said it is shameful this happened during Women’s Month.
The taxi industry is joining forces with the provincial government to fight gender-based violence.
Each taxi operator has been identified as an ambassador of peace.
“As the minibus taxi industry in KwaZulu-Natal, we know that the industry itself is dominated by males, it’s patriarchal and males are the ones that are the perpetrators when it comes to such violence,” said SA National Taxi Association’s Sifiso Shangase.
“We want our places of working areas, which is the minibus taxi ranks, to be places of safety, especially for women who are commuters within our minibus taxi. We are also instilling a culture and educating our own men, within the minibus industry, that woman as well have their own rights in the bill of rights.”
Zikalala wants everyone to play a role in protecting women and children.
“Every taxi is going to be carrying this message but we are saying only through a partnership of educating our people and protecting woman, that we will be able to deal with this scourge,” the premier said.
“It is the responsibility of each and every citizen to fight against the scourge against gender-based violence.
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Source: eNCA
