KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders chair, Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, says perpetrators of gender based violence should not be allowed to live in traditional areas. Chiliza was addressing the media after a two day meeting of provincial traditional leaders.
A number of women and children have been attacked in recent months, causing national outrage. Last month, four children were killed, allegedly by their father at Wyebank in Pinetown, west of Durban.
Chiliza is calling on the justice system to hand down harsher sentences for people who commit such crimes.
“We support calls for those found guilty and those acts to be named and shamed and not be allowed to reside in traditional communities. All Amakhosi committed themselves to conducting an audit on any part of culture or tradition that may exist within the traditional communities and which discriminate against women. It can be brought to house for review for example if you’re talking about this thing of ukuthwala,” says Chiliza.
Chiliza has also appealed to government to effectively control the influx of illegal immigrants.
“Government clearly needs to tighten the borders controls to ensure that those who do enter our country are in position of correct documentation. With the crime levels on the entrance we are concerned about the undocumented nationals and we also ask government to act decisively against those involved in criminal activities and that stay in the country be reviewed,” says Chiliza.
