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21 Oct, 2025
CPUT: campuses are no safe haven, as another student is raped
Statement by Lucia Matomane, UDESMO Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson The United Democratic Students’ Movement (UDESMO) is dismayed and angered by the alleged rape of a 23-year-old female student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Observatory residence. It is unacceptable that such a violent crime could be committed against a student in an environment meant for learning and personal growth. No student should ever feel unsafe or be sexually targeted in a space that is supposed to nurture their future. UDESMO extends its heartfelt sympathies to the victim, her family, and the wider CPUT student community during this deeply distressing time. Sexual violence has no place in our society, and least of all on our university campuses. It is especially troubling that this incident has occurred so close to the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness and driving action against the very crimes we continue to witness. Sadly, this case is one of many in a country where gender-based violence remains one of South Africa’s most urgent human rights crises, marked by shocking levels of abuse, rape, and femicide. It has been reported that a 24-year-old male student has been arrested in connection with the incident and has already appeared before the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court. We understand that the case has been postponed to 27 October for a formal bail application. UDESMO commends the courage of the CPUT students who have peacefully taken to the streets to demand justice and accountability. Their actions reflect the growing frustration of young South Africans who continue to feel unsafe and unheard.
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20 Oct, 2025
AGSA’s findings: South Africa’s parole system betrays its constitutional duty
Media Statement by Thandi Nontenja, MP and UDEMWO Secretary General The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) welcomes the recent findings of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) on the Department of Correctional Services, which expose deep and long-standing weaknesses in the country’s parole system. For years, UDEMWO has warned that South Africa’s parole regime places the lives of women, children and communities in danger. The AGSA report confirms what victims have known all along: the system no longer serves justice. It is failing its constitutional and moral duty to protect citizens and to uphold the rule of law. According to the AGSA, offenders whose parole was previously revoked are still being considered for release on new sentences. The report also shows that more than a third of inmates are remand detainees who receive no meaningful rehabilitation, while many convicted offenders, including those found guilty of sexual offences, do not receive the mandatory psychological services required by law. The audit further revealed that the Department’s Integrated Inmate Management System lacks basic integrity, with incomplete records and missing identifiers that make it impossible to track offenders properly or to assess their risk before release. This negligence has deadly consequences. When a system allows violent offenders to walk free without proper preparation, supervision or rehabilitation, it fails the victims who continue to live with trauma and fear. UDEMWO shares the anguish of families whose loved ones became victims of a system that released danger back into their communities UDEMWO calls for immediate and decisive action from the Department of Correctional Services and Parliament: 1. Victims must be placed at the centre of parole decisions, and their safety must carry more weight than administrative convenience. 2. Risk assessments must be strengthened to ensure that offenders with a history of violence or parole revocation are not released without thorough multidisciplinary review. 3. Data systems must be repaired and regular reports on parole approvals, reoffending and violations must be tabled in Parliament and made available to the public. 4. Offenders should only become eligible for parole once they have completed meaningful rehabilitation and demonstrated readiness to reintegrate into society. 5. Parliament must hold parole boards accountable for negligent decisions and ensure that consequences follow where released offenders commit serious crimes. Each act of violence committed by a parolee is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a system that has lost its moral compass. Justice cannot end at sentencing; it must extend to ensuring that rehabilitation is real, that victims are respected and that communities are safe. Communities also have a duty to support survivors, report crime and break the silence that protects perpetrators. Real reform will require collective responsibility from government, society and every institution tasked with protecting the vulnerable. Until the parole system is rebuilt on principles of accountability, transparency and compassion for victims, it will remain a danger to the very people it was meant to protect. UDEMWO will continue to speak for those whose voices are ignored and to demand a justice system that honours both the Constitution and the sanctity of human life.
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14 Oct, 2025
We go to learn, not to die: UDESMO demands justice at Nelson Mandela University
Statement by Lucia Matomane, UDESMO Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson The United Democratic Students’ Movement (UDESMO) in the Eastern Cape deeply is outraged and heartbroken by last night’s brutal break-in at a Nelson Mandela University (NMU) residence in Summerstrand, a crime that left one female student stabbed to death and another gravely injured. This is not just another headline. This is a fellow student gone. A family shattered, and a community with trust broken. For too long, NMU students, especially women, have lived in fear in places that are supposed to be safe. How many times have we heard of robberies, altercations, deaths, or threats in off-campus residences, or on-campus spaces where security is lax? In 2023, there was the murder of Zimkhitha Ntshisela, a student at NMU’s George campus, who was violently stabbed in her own room, and in October 2024, another NMU student was killed during an altercation with a residence manager at a private off-campus residence. These are not isolated incidents; they form a pattern of negligence, of broken promises, of inadequate leadership. We cannot accept a reality where our institutions of learning become unsafe spaces for the very youth we send to build their futures. How does an armed and unknown man gain access to a residence undetected? Where was security when our sisters were under attack? These are questions NMU must answer urgently and transparently. We demand accountability from the university. The safety of students cannot continue to be an afterthought. We call on NMU management to immediately review and strengthen its security measures at all residences, both on and off campus. Our children are sent to university to learn, not to be killed. We stand in solidarity with the families, friends, and the entire NMU community as they mourn this senseless loss. May the soul of the departed rest in peace, may the injured student make a full and speedy recovery, and may justice be served without delay.
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16 May, 2025
UDEMWO welcomes the sentencing of rapist Moses Gqesha
Media Statement by Thandi Nontenja, MP and UDEMWO Secretary General The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) welcomes the sentencing of Moses Gqesha, who has been handed eight life sentences for the brutal 2010 rape of Ms Andy Kawa, along with additional sentences for robbery, kidnapping, assault and theft. This long-overdue justice marks a significant moment for Ms Kawa, her family and all survivors of gender-based violence in South Africa. We commend her courage and unwavering pursuit of justice despite the many obstacles she has faced over the past 15 years. UDEMWO notes with deep concern, however, the unacceptable delay in securing this conviction, due in large part to the DNA backlog crisis that continues to undermine the fight against gender-based violence. Although DNA samples were collected in 2020, a match was only confirmed in 2023, leading to Gqesha’s arrest in January 2024. This delay is a glaring indictment of the state’s failure to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and efficiently. Survivors cannot be expected to wait more than a decade for closure because of avoidable bureaucratic and systemic failures. The Department of Justice and relevant forensic units must treat the DNA backlog as an emergency and allocate the necessary resources to resolve it urgently. In addition, UDEMWO calls on the Department of Correctional Services to take a firmer stance when dealing in cases involving extreme violence, particularly those rooted in gender-based violence. Individuals convicted of such heinous crimes must not be granted parole under any circumstances. The severity of these crimes justifies the full and uninterrupted serving of life sentences. Survivors and their families should not have to live in fear of their perpetrators ever walking free again. Correctional Services must align its policies with the broader national commitment to ending gender-based violence. While the sentencing of Moses Gqesha is a step toward justice, the broader system still fails far too many survivors. UDEMWO will continue to advocate for the dignity, safety and rights of women across South Africa and will remain vigilant in holding all arms of the state accountable in the fight against gender-based violence.
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13 May, 2025
UDESMO mourns the tragic loss of Banoyolo Krakra
Statement by Lucia Matomane, UDESMO Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson The United Democratic Students’ Movement (UDESMO) expresses deep sorrow and outrage at the murder of Banoyolo Krakra, a beloved student at Lovedale TVET College and a proud member of our student community. Banoyolo was a committed young woman who was pursuing an NCV Level 2 qualification in Generic Management. She showed remarkable responsibility and compassion by using her NSFAS funds to support her family before returning to her studies. Her brutal killing is a cruel and senseless act that has robbed her family, community, and our country of a promising life and future leader. We send our heartfelt condolences to the Krakra family and to all who knew and loved Banoyolo. Their pain is also our pain. UDESMO stands in solidarity with them during this time of unimaginable grief and we will support their call for justice every step of the way. This tragedy is yet another painful reminder of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide crisis that continues to destroy lives, particularly those of young women. We call on the South African Police Service to leave no stone unturned in their investigation and to ensure that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. UDESMO also calls on Lovedale TVET College to prioritise student safety and to ensure that adequate trauma counselling is made available to Banoyolo’s classmates who are reeling from this devastating loss. Although Banoyolo was not found on campus, her body was discovered on Cambridge Street in Qonce, near a local tavern, by a patrolling security officer. She had suffered stab wounds to her upper body. This tragic incident highlights the broader safety concerns affecting students beyond campus boundaries and demands urgent attention from institutions and law enforcement alike. Banoyolo’s life mattered. Her memory will live on in our commitment to fight for safer campuses and communities. May her soul rest in peace. We will never forget her.
Admin
10 May, 2025
UDEMWO welcomes Timothy Omotoso’s arrest
Media Statement by Thandi Nontenja, MP and UDEMWO Secretary General The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) welcomes the arrest of controversial pastor Timothy Omotoso on immigration-related charges. We sincerely hope that this time, the law will take its full and proper course and that the arrest will not become another example of impunity disguised as religious expression. Women and girls across South Africa watched in disbelief as Omotoso, who was recently acquitted on serious charges of sexual assault and human trafficking, returned to public life with astonishing speed. That acquittal, which came after a seven-year detention, was not the result of his exoneration but rather a consequence of poor prosecution and a failure to present key evidence. His highly publicised return to preaching through the so-called New Dawn Crusade has been deeply distressing to survivors of gender-based violence and to all those who believe in justice and accountability. UDEMWO calls on the Department of Home Affairs and the South African Police Service to pursue this matter with diligence and transparency. The public deserves to know the legal basis for Omotoso’s continued presence in the country, and all actions taken must reflect the seriousness of the charges and circumstances. Far too often, South Africa has become a refuge for foreign religious leaders who exploit their positions of influence to prey on the vulnerable. Figures like Shepherd Bushiri and Timothy Omotoso, both of whom have faced serious allegations of rape and sexual abuse, are emblematic of a dangerous trend where charismatic authority is used to shield criminal behaviour. These individuals manipulate faith to gain trust, silence victims, and avoid accountability. South Africa must tighten its immigration and regulatory frameworks to ensure that those who claim to lead in faith do not use our hospitality as a cover for predation and impunity. The pulpit must never become a hiding place for perpetrators. Furthermore, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has reached crisis levels in our country. The fact that a woman is murdered every three hours is not merely a statistic. It is a national shame and a painful indictment of our collective failure to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. This crisis demands urgent, coordinated, and uncompromising action from all sectors of government and civil society. South Africa cannot claim to be a free and just society while women live in fear, suffer in silence, or are silenced by violence. In the end, no person is above the law, regardless of their religious title or popularity. South Africa must not allow religious platforms to become sanctuaries for those accused of abuse. We hope that this arrest marks a turning point. Let justice be done, and this time, let it be done without fear, favour or interference. No backroom deals, favours or corrupt acts must allow Mr Omotoso to escape the full might of the law.
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18 Apr, 2025
Khayelitsha police loses alleged rapist: justice system fails GBV victims yet again
Statement by Bongani Maqungwana, United Democratic Movement Councillor in the City of Cape Town The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the City of Cape Town is deeply disturbed by reports of gross negligence by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats. A young woman who bravely recently reported raped was failed at every turn by the system meant to protect her. After identifying her alleged attacker, who was apprehended by residents and handed over to police officers from Khayelitsha Police Station, the officers took the man to the hospital without arresting him, nor informing the investigating officer, nor collecting any evidence. Shockingly, the suspect has since returned to the community and is reportedly intimidating both the survivor and other residents; all while remaining free. This represents a profound miscarriage of justice and a betrayal of the survivor’s courage. This incident reflects a shocking disregard for due process and a broader failure by SAPS to take gender-based violence seriously. Despite the victim opening a case, providing a statement, and undergoing a medical examination, the police failed to act when given a clear opportunity to investigate and detain a suspect. No DNA was collected, no questioning took place, and no connection to the existing rape case was made. This is not just negligence; it is a collapse of basic policing duties. The UDM in Cape City of Cape Town demands an immediate, independent investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate into the actions of the officers involved, as well as their suspension pending the outcome. We also call for the arrest and formal charging of the alleged perpetrator, protection for the victim and her family. The community of Khayelitsha deserves justice, not excuses. The UDM in Cape City of Cape Town stands in solidarity with the survivor and the people of Khayelitsha. We will continue to monitor this case and advocate for stronger accountability in how SAPS handles cases of rape and gender-based violence. We cannot allow incompetence and indifference to endanger our communities any longer.
Admin
15 Jun, 2020
Gender-based violence: back in spotlight
The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) is enraged that gender-based violence (GBV) is on the rise during the Covid-19 lockdown. GBV has never dissipated; we live amongst abusers, rapists, and murderers in our communities. Simply put, being a woman in South Africa is dangerous. If a GBV crime is not featured in the media, it does not get the attention it deserves. We realise that there are many dynamics that play into the combating of GBV, but the South African Police Service is not doing its part. Seeing the Minister of Police inspecting “spaza shops” at the weekend, is extremely disturbing. It’s not his job! He should leave shop inspections to qualified environmental practitioners and address the life-threatening problems women are facing. UDEMWO is also disappointed that government is so silent about the R1,1 billion that was allocated to fight GBV in September 2019. Has the money done any good to fight GBV or are the comrades in corruption at it again? How long will hashtags trend in social media… with more GBV victims’ names added every single day: Naledi Phangindawo, Tshegofatso Pule, Simbongile Mnangcotywa and Sinah Molefe to name but a recent few. Enough is enough! Issued by: Ms Thandi Nontenja UDEMWO Secretary General
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07 Aug, 2017
Women-slapping minister: gender-based violence at the highest level
Statement issued by Thandi Nontenja – UDEMWO Secretary General The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) is furious and shocked by the incident where the Education Deputy-Minister Mduduzi Manana assaulted two women at a night club at the weekend. He has apparently admitted that he has done so and UDEMWO believes that his actions cannot be justified under any circumstance. This incident not only happens in Women’s Month, but against the background of the increase in gender-based violence in South Africa. A man at Deputy-Minister Manana’s level should live by example. Police Minister Fikile Mbalula must also not be tempted to protect his colleague abusing his position. Deputy-Minister Manana cannot get away with this. No one is above law; least of all a minister and he must face the consequences of his actions. We also hope that the witnesses will not be intimidated during the investigation. Does the ANC Women’s League approve of this behaviour? The same as they did with Kwezi? We in addition call upon the ruling party itself to urgently subject Minister Manana to a disciplinary process. Should there be no consequences for Deputy-Minister Manana, it will be a clear indication that the ruling party and its male ministers do not have time for strong women; we cannot be led by people who don’t respect us. End
