The Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, says cancer is a contributor to gender-based violence. She was participating in a Pink Drive campaign to raise awareness and to provide education on health-related services to community members in Pofadder, in the Northern Cape.
POWA reacts to ongoing gender-based violence in South Africa:
Bogopane-Zulu says those suffering from cancer are not getting the necessary support.
“Breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate and testicular cancer are contributors to gender-based-violence, because all of these are actually sexually related. They are the jewels of the family. Women who have breast cancer have their breast removed are then, instead of receiving support from their partners, they are looked at of not being complete or not being full.”
She says this has a severe impact on relationships.
“Cervical cancer is one of the contributors because when women are in pain going through treatment and they cannot perform their marital duties of providing sex to their partners, they are being abused and ill-treated. The same of male who got prostate and testicular cancer because these cancers are also about relationships; they are intimate. They actually affect the areas that are of a sexual nature.”
Listen to the Deputy Minister in audio below:
Strengthening of legislation dealing with GBV
Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema said on Women’s Day that legislation dealing with gender-based violence must be strengthened.
He questioned why the justice system is focused on getting bail for perpetrators as opposed to justice for the victim. The opposition party leader said laws dealing with rape need to be reviewed, adding that people, other than victims, should also be able to report an alleged rape.
“Rape and abuse of women and children should be crimes against the state so much so that when the victim withdraws the case, the state must proceed with the case against the perpetrator because families intervene, money exchange hands and families say ‘we cannot embarrass our uncle like that, we cannot embarrass the breadwinner.’”
