Calls for justice as Kgaogelo Marota's murder highlights GBV crisis
The community demands justice for Kgaogelo Marota who was murdered allegedly by her ex-boyfriend Mfana Ngwenya and calls for an end to the scourge of gender-based violence that has claimed countless lives.
Image: Oupa Mokoena/ Independent Newspapers
Community members, activist groups, and political parties converged outside the Temba Magistrate's Court to stage a protest, demanding justice for 20-year-old Kgaogelo Marota, who was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend last Thursday.
The accused Antonio Mfana Ngwenya, who allegedly stabbed Marota to death and allegedly attempted to kill his current girlfriend, briefly appeared in court on Monday.
The case has been postponed to September 5 for verification of the accused's nationality and bail application.
In a shocking twist, the accused posted a video on social media last week, purportedly confessing to the murder, which took place during an altercation at a tavern in Maubane, North West province.
Outside the court, protesters voiced their outrage, calling for justice for Marota and demanding that the State deny the accused bail.
Ketumile Molekwa, spokesperson for Vuka Enough, an organisation fighting against gender-based violence (GBV), expressed her shock and frustration.
"This incident has touched us to the core due to its brutal nature and the fact that it keeps recurring despite our efforts to educate and warn girls," she said.
What's disturbing, Molekwa said, is that Marota had taken steps to protect herself, including obtaining a protection order against her ex-boyfriend.
She stressed that the murder highlights a disturbing trend of women being failed by the justice system.
Marota's father, Thabiso Seema, described the moment he learned of his daughter's murder as surreal.
"I felt like it was a movie because I have never seen such a thing in my life," he said.
He fondly remembered his daughter as being very close to her mother and warned girl children to stay away from taverns and dating at an early age.
The family expressed their devastation, with Marota's uncle, Zake Seema, saying: "We're shattered and devastated by what happened to my niece. For my niece to be killed so brutally really has made us think of the fact that our justice system is really failing us."
He called for the reinstatement of the death penalty, saying: "Why can’t they reinstate the death penalty and deal with these monsters and remove them from society for good?"
Czerane Bosch, DA regional chairperson of Gauteng North, expressed concern over the rising cases of GBV in Gauteng.
She said quarterly crime statistics consistently show an increase in murders and attempted murders of women, which is alarming.
Bosch called for the establishment of a GBV unit in Gauteng to assist with investigations and support victims of crime.
“This lady Kgaogelo had a protection order and regardless of the fact that she had a protection order she is now dead and this should not have happened. We are saying no to bail ,” she said.
The ANC Youth League in Tshwane expressed outrage over the brutal murder, saying it is another tragic example of the scourge of GBV claiming young lives.
"This is not an isolated case, it is part of a deadly epidemic of femicide that terrorises our communities daily," the youth league said.