The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) utterly condemns the gang rape of 8 women in Krugersdorp.
Reports indicate that 8 women were raped whilst shooting a music video in Krugersdorp mine dumps on Thursday. The victims are said to have been gang raped by a group of about 20 people who are allegedly ZamaZamas.
The community has testified that such syndicates have plagued the area and terrorise community members on daily basis. In a Newzroom Afrika interview on 30 July 2022, a victim of gang rape from the local shack gave another harrowing experience of how she, her husband and a neighbour were kidnapped and robbed, and then her and the neighbour were then raped more than one time.
These experiences are certainly engraining scars and traumas that will negatively affect them for a lifetime. We pledge our solidarity with these victims, and other victims of rape everywhere.
Though about 80 suspects have already been arrested in connection with this harrowing crime, SAFTU calls on the law enforcement agencies to make successful arrests of all other syndicates who have been terrorising the community and raping women. The arrest of these perpetrators must not be a theatrical exercise aimed at taming the utter disgust the public has, but we expect a swift arrest of perpetrators in all rape cases and crimes and reach successful convictions.
Crime Statistics for the financial year 2021/22 that ended in March 2022 shows that South Africa had 114 recorded cases of rape occurring daily. This reflects the intensity of the scourge of violence in general and Gender Based Violence (GBV) in particular. The social conditions have deteriorated to the point that it has become a matter of survival in our communities.
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