By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (IMC on GBVF) has approved a Comprehensive Emergency Strategy to speedily bring to justice the perpetrators behind the killing of nine women in Ekurhuleni, East of Johannesburg Gauteng.
The bodies of the women were discovered over the past two months, sparking national outrage and intense scrutiny over the initial police response.
The IMC briefed the media in Pretoria on Sunday afternoon on the actions the government is taking in response to the murders.
The IMC is co-chaired by the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga and Minister of Social Development, Dina Pule.
Chikunga said that of the nine recovered bodies, one remains with no missing person case reported.
“The IMC calls on people to check on their female relatives who are in Ekurhuleni, particularly those in and around Kempton Park, Kwa-Thema and Tembisa, and to report any missing persons at their nearest police station. There is no requirement to wait 24 hours before reporting a person missing.
“Early reporting enables the police to initiate the necessary investigation and search processes without delay. Families should provide a recent photograph, a description of the missing person, details of where the person was last seen and any other information that may assist investigators,” the Minister urged.
Community members with any information on the murders are urged to report to police.
To give information to police, contact Warrant Officer Elvis Manyike on 082 465 7249 or call the South African Police Service Crime Stop number on 08600 10111.
She highlighted that the Department of Social Development has commenced psycho-social support to the “families of the identified victims in line with the families’ needs.”
“Each of these women was a human being of equal dignity, with relationships, hopes and a rightful place in our society.
“Government stands with the affected families and remains committed to ensuring that they receive the necessary support while justice is pursued,” Chikunga said.
Members of the public can report GBV incidents and access support by contacting the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre on 0800 428 428.
The GBV Command Centre can also be reached by sending a Please Call Me to 1207867#, SMSing “HELP” to 31531, or contacting Skype: Helpme GBV.
Minister of Police Feroz Cachalia said three people have been brought in for questioning, but investigations so far have not “confirmed conclusively that we are dealing with a serial killer” on the loose.
“All the cases are not necessarily linked, and there is some indication of different modus operandi and motives.”
“But nothing yet has been excluded while investigations are ongoing.”
He said both human and financial resources were being used to respond to the crisis in the city, including roping in Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and Crime Intelligence Head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo. Mkhwanazi is leading a national task team against organised and violent crimes.
“Let these even spur us to further action. We cannot accept gender-based violence as a permanent reality. It must come to an end.”
Cachalia has also urged home affairs to look into the immigration status of Zimbabwe businessman Lawrence Mudzinganyama.
Footage of the man threatening to kill women after his advances were rejected was shared online over the weekend, sparking outrage.
Mudzinganyama was arrested on Sunday and released on warning. He has acknowledged the public reaction to the footage and apologised on Sunday.
“I apologise unreservedly to the women involved in the recent incident at Vlamo restaurant in Sandton.”
Amid the outrage over his behaviour, two government ministers have ordered probes into Moriel Infrastructure Group, a company linked to Mudzinganyama.
Moriel Infrastructure Group, of which Mudzinganyama was a director, received a contract from Sanral. He is also reported to have done business with other government entities.
Transport minister Barbra Creecy moved quickly on Saturday to instruct Sanral to investigate whether Moriel Infrastructure Group had been lawfully appointed as a Sanral contractor, and whether it is fulfilling all its contractual obligations.
Public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson said on Sunday he was concerned about allegations that Moriel Infrastructure Group received several gradings from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) on the same day.
“Further allegations suggest that the company may not have met the requirements for these gradings, which may subsequently have been used to secure contracts from various spheres of government.”
Hours later, Moriel Infrastructure Group removed Mudzinganyama from his position.
“The Board of Moriel Infrastructure Group has resolved to terminate its association with Mr Lawrence
Mudzinganyama, both as Executive Chairman and as a director, with immediate effect, it said on Sunday.”
It said Mudzinganyama will no longer represent, speak for or act on behalf of Moriel Infrastructure Group in any capacity.
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster said a case of intimidation was opened at Randburg police station with Mudzinganyama named as a suspect.