#LionMama: UDEMWO welcomes decision to drop charges against Komani mother
Statement issued by Thandi Nontenja – UDEMWO Secretaty General
The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) applauds the justice system for dropping the charges against the woman accused of fatally stabbing a man and wounding two others after finding them allegedly raping her daughter in Komani, Eastern Cape.
UDEMWO has been vocal in its support for this family, but in particular in support of a woman who the law intended to punish for protecting her daughter. No mother would have been able to fold arms while a horrible act was taking place in their presence.
We have stood in support of this courageous woman and we will continue supporting her. Our support is not in promotion of committing crime, but we believe that her and her daughter’s lives were under threat.
UDEMWO does not condone any actions of individuals or community’s taking the law into their own hands, but we understand and know that women are under siege from those familiar to them and that desperation can sometimes bring extreme protective instincts to the fore.
This mother and the daughter’s lives will never be the same after the horror and as UDEMWO, we will continue to be the voice of the voiceless.
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