President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said no bail may be granted to persons charged with rape or if the victim was in a domestic relationship with the perpetrator, without a protection order first, effective from this month.
Ramaphosa said such bail applications should be formally applied for in court.
“If the accused was in a domestic relationship with the alleged victim, the court has to issue a protection order against them before releasing them on bail,” Ramaphosa said.
He was addressing the national event for the celebration of Women’s Day at the Union Buildings.
Ramaphosa also said gang or serial rapists now faced life imprisonment as did perpetrators of date rape, marital rape, child rape and incest.
“We are also piloting a system in a number of provinces that will enable victims of domestic violence to apply for protection orders online.”
His statements referred to the new laws he signed earlier this year to provide greater protection to survivors of gender-based violence, to ensure that perpetrators are no longer able to evade prosecution, and to strengthen measures to prevent gender-based violence.
“We congratulate all who have been part of ensuring that these progressive laws are rolled out as soon as possible.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa came a long way in advancing the rights and freedoms of women.
“As government we are irrevocably committed to continuing the process of advancing and improving the lives of the women and girls of South Africa. We call upon other key role players who control resources and can open opportunities for women to do so.
Business is well placed to play a key role in this process of helping to improve the lives of the women of South Africa.”
Ramaphosa said women must be well represented in key positions in government, management and the judiciary and that the education system should prioritise the advancement of women.
“We still have the problem of girls dropping out of school, often due to domestic responsibilities.As a society and as families and as a nation we must ensure that our girls stay at school and finish school.”
He said there was a need to intensify the collective efforts of all social partners, including business, to do more to financially empower women.
“Business, in particular, must follow the government’s lead to set aside at least 40 per cent of their spending for the empowerment of women,” Ramaphosa added.
Speaking at the DA Women’s Day event in Johannesburg, the party’s chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said the fight for the protection of women in 2023 was also an important and unifying battle as it was 67 years ago when there were issues women that faced transcended their race, socio-economic background or even sexual orientation.
“Women are under attack in our society and the government does little to afford us the protections needed after seven decades from that historic day,” Gwarube said.
Gwarube also said inequality would worsen for years to come because they were not investing and protecting the most vulnerable in society and pleaded with women to follow the example of those that marched against pass laws in 1956.
The EFF said state institutions that were mandated to investigate, prosecute and imprison men who rape, murder and abuse of women were a perpetual failure.
“In fact, as a result of these failures, the state unleashes secondary brutality against women reporting their violations,” the red berets said.
Cape Times
