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Bring on the chemical castration for rapists, says ANCWL

ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini said the league wanted to sponsor a private members' bill to deal with gender-based violence and rape.
ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini said the league wanted to sponsor a private members' bill to deal with gender-based violence and rape.
Image: Eugene Coetzee/The Herald

The ANC Women's League wants the country to consider chemical castration against men found guilty of rape.

The call comes in the wake of the rape and murder of 19-year-old University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana, who was killed by a 42-year-old post office employee at the weekend.

The man, who cannot be named by order of the court because an identity parade has yet to be held, allegedly confessed to the crime. Angry residents of Khayelitsha on Tuesday night set fire to his house.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, ANCWL secretary-general Meokgo Matupa said the league wanted the provision to be made law and urged the country to look at other countries which had introduced similar measures.

Women across South Africa have expressed their anger over rape and gender-based violence following Mrwetyana's killing, and that of Eastern Cape female boxer Leighandre Jegels.

Speaking at the same press conference, ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini said the league wanted to sponsor a private members' bill to deal with gender-based violence and rape.

The league wants perpetrators to be denied bail, face a life sentence and for the change of the law to place the burden of proof of innocence on the accused men.

Meanwhile, the league wants women to take part in a "stay away" on Monday.

"Women must not go to work, because we are the ones, through paid and unpaid labour, that make big businesses have those transactions on a daily basis," said Dlamini.

Dlamini also called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the nation on the matter. She also wants the security cluster to further present a report.

Anger and outrage followed the discovery of the body of missing 19-year-old UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana on September 02, 2019. She had been missing since August 24. A 42-year-old man who worked at the Clareinch Post office allegedly confessed to the rape and murder. Gender-based violence has been a national issue in South Africa for years, with 3 915 women and children being murdered in 2018.

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