“Being a woman should not be a death sentence . . .”
This was the message of a silent protest staged by family and friends of murdered Dimpho Skelenge outside the Caledon Court on 31 July, during the ongoing trial of Wiseman Ndara, her alleged killer. The case was postponed to 23 August.
Skelenge’s body was found on 7 September 2022. She was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Ndara (“Woman killed, man arrested”, Hermanus Times 14 September 2022).
The people protesting outside the court were there not only to support Skelenge’s family, but also to bring a strong anti-GBV message. (Mr) Mkhanyiseli Hlapezulu from Zolani, Ashton, said: “We are GBV ambassadors. We are here to support Dimpho’s family. We are fighting for the rights of women. If a relationship does not work out, step aside. There is no need to kill her.”
A contingent from the Rural Women’s Assembly South Africa were present to support Dimpho’s family and take a stand against GBV. Denia Jansen, spokesperson for the group, explained an interesting concept: “One woman, one hectare is one of our main campaigns for access for women to land. Today we are at the court to support Dimpho’s family.
“We always connect GBV to access to land for women. If women could have the one hectare of land, they would have the opportunity to leave an abusive relationship. They would be able to cultivate the land to provide for themselves and their families and be independent from an abusive relationship.”
After the case was postponed, Skelenge’s cousin Winnie Suluba of Ashton said: “I am not happy at all. We came here for the final decision, but we can’t take it into our hands, the court has to deal with it. It has been going on for a very long time now, but we hope for sentencing at the next appearance.”
Lydia Skelenge, the deceased’s mother, said: “I am not happy. I want to see justice for my daughter.”
