AUTOFORUM

MISA supports the fight against gender-based violence and femicide

Aug 20, 2024 MISA, Motor Industry Staff Association, Martle Keyter, SOCA, the Sexual Offenses and Community Affairs Unit, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)

MISA supports the fight against gender-based violence and femicide

MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, partnered with SOCA, the Sexual Offenses and Community Affairs Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to strengthen their hands in the fight against South Africa’s gender-based violence pandemic and femicide. Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, says the Union and the Unit is working on a new series of webinars to raise awareness on the National Council’s Gender Based Violence and Femicide Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Amendment Bill.

This comes after the parties joined forces to host a very successful webinar series during National Child Protection week. “The disappearance of 6-year-old Joslin Smith in Saldanha on 19 February and the brutal murder of Deveney Nel (16) in a store room on the premises of the Overberg High School in Caledon on 7 August 2024, reaffirms MISA’s stance. We need to talk about gender-based violence and femicide every day, not just once or twice a year,” says Keyter.

Thanks to MISA the prosecutors of SOCA now have business cards to give out to victims who needs their help. The Union also sponsored the shortfall of jackets the Unit had for staff members. This year MISA donated wool so that the prosecuting authority could join in the Mandela Day celebrations, which allowed NPA staff members to dedicate their time and skills to knitting crochet dolls. The 65 Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC) nationwide received 670 handmade dolls by NPA staff.

According to Adv Bonnie Currie-Gamwo, Special Director of Public Prosecutions for Sexual Offences, the TCC has played a significant role in increasing the conviction rate in cases of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. The 2010 conviction rate of 60%, now standing at 78%. The TCC are one-stop facilities providing pre-trial services that include psycho-social, medical and legal services to victims of GBV.

“Defeating the scourge of gender-based violence is the responsibility of everyone in society to work together to bring it to an end. Collective coordinated interventions are needed to address the scourge of gender based violence (GBV). “Public-private partnerships are crucial to ensure the sustainability of TCCs. We want to make TCCs more accessible by having more of these facilities in communities, and for that we need private sector support,” says Currie-Gamwo.

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