By: Zamayirha Peter for ACTIVATE! Change Drivers
The story of Altercia Jortje and her daughter who were murdered, after they were reportedly turned away at the Bellville Magistrate Court in June 2020 when she tried to apply for a protection order led the Office of the Public Protector to embark on an investigation of the administrative challenges faced by Gender Based Violence (GBV) victims in the criminal justice system across 38 magistrates’.
Following the investigation, the public protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka released a damning report on the support given to victims of gender-based violence (GBV) by the Departments of Justice and Constitutional Development and Social Development, and by SAPS.
The investigation found that the Department of Justice had not placed sufficient measures in to protect GBV victims. The report highlights how some of the 38 court buildings were old and dilapidated. Additionally, there was inadequate office equipment, malfunctioning telephone lines, switchboards and air conditioners, and persistent network problems.
“The courts did not have a functional Integrated Case Management System (ICMS). “The ICMS is mostly inaccessible or very slow due to network challenges, for example at Magistrates Courts in Umlazi, Umbumbulu, Mamelodi, Mzumbe and Ndwendwe,” the report read.
There were no private or sufficient consultation rooms for victims. Most courts did not have suitable filing systems and spaces. “This was evidenced by files scattered on the floor at Mamelodi, Pretoria, Palm Ridge, Vereeniging, Johannesburg, Bellville and files kept in police cells at Ga-Rankuwa,” Gcaleka said.
Gcaleka said the Department of Justice must, within seven months, provide her with a detailed project plan for the renovation of the courts, with turnaround times, targets and deliverables indicating how buildings and ICT will be upgraded.
It is stories such as that of the late Altercia Jortje and her daughter that have emphasised the important work of gender activism and the rolling out of the work in an inclusive manner.
Response from Civil Society
Adding to the list of resources, youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers through its coalition-led programme Generation G has embarked on an extension programme to use public figures to drive home their stance against gender-based violence.
The Generation G partnership is a collaboration of partners in seven countries including;
Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda with regional and global-level support for these in-country changes, with a global consortium consisting of Rutgers (lead), ABAAD, Promundo, and Sonke Gender Justice.
Generation G Programme, with ”G” standing for “Gender,” is a global partnership which strives towards the creation of gender-just and violence-free societies with and for young men and women in their full diversity.
“We believe that investing in youth is central to achieving sustainable, inclusive, and stable societies. This partnership engages an innovative gender-transformative strategy that equips youth leaders and civil society organisations (CSOs) to address the root causes of gender inequality and foster sustainable change”, Rammolotsi Sothoane, programme manager at ACTIVATE! Change Drivers.
Some of the media makers chosen for the programme include Sir Bongani Luvalo and Merlize Jogiat who will join the champion-led efforts and participate at a community level to drive the programme message home.
“We wanted to include individuals who in their personal and professional space are already aligned with the objectives of this programme, these individuals are by no means perfect or idols of the work of the programme. They would be coming into the space to positively impact and true to the nature of the programme they would also learn from the young people leading in the space”, Zamayirha Peter, advocacy communications specialist.
“As a coalition, we felt that these individuals had a consistent track record that appealed to different communities within society that would benefit from knowing about the programme and also just meaningfully participating in it”, Peter adds
Some of the planned activities with the media makers include attending webinars, and community dialogues, joining the programme podcast ‘Gender chats’ podcast as well as providing support to the programme’s young people who are called Generation G Gender Champions.
“Bongani Luvalo is passionate about empowering single dads and dads, in general, to play a meaningful role in the upbringing of their children. Merlize Jogiat is involved in compelling work that supports women in abusive relationships, her work is multifaceted in its approach to supporting marginalised communities”, she adds.
Young people (15-32) are at the heart of this partnership, as catalysts for systemic change and key target groups, who are often excluded from policymaking and legislative processes.
The programme aims to raise public support, advocate for improved policies and laws, and strengthen civil society by addressing gender injustices. Now in year four of its five-year implementation the programme has established an active footprint in communities across South Africa through the initiation of community dialogues, imbizos, marches and training programmes that are geared toward empowering young people and their communities to become active in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide. In doing so, the programme aims to raise public support, advocate for improved policies and laws, and strengthen civil society by addressing gender injustices.
Generation G is upheld by intentional guiding principles. The programme uses a gender-transformative approach (GTA) that examines, questions and changes harmful gender norms and power imbalances. Through their successful track record and database from previous campaigns, the organizations will create platforms and space for dialogues to be led by the youth to address these harmful truths.
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