Overstrand Executive Mayor, Dr Annelie Rabie, and fellow councillors joined the Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Masizole Mnqasela as Constituency head of the Overstrand Municipal area, on their third Anti-Gender Based Violence (GBV) march in Hermanus, for a bid to call for justice for Sisipho Mayile.

Sisipho, a matric student at Qhayiya Secondary School in Zwelihle, went missing on 16 January, and her body was found in the bushes near Camphill bridge in Hermanus on 25 January.

“I am calling on communities across the Province to stand up and speak out against all forms of GBV and domestic violence. If we keep silent, the war will continue to be waged as frustrations of lockdown and alcohol abuse rise to exacerbate the crises,” said Speaker Mnqasela.

The march was also aimed at sending a clear message to SAPS to drastically increase their efforts in combatting and investigating gender-based violence cases in the Overstrand.

Mayor Rabie said that it should not be necessary for anyone to have “these kind of marches” to encourage SAPS to actually do their work.

She also requested a progress report on whether someone has been arrested or not; was it part of an organised crime or just someone being nasty. “Tell us, so that we know what we are dealing with”.

“Trusting one another is the only way forward with this matter otherwise we are creating factions and groupings that are not conducive to promoting woman’s rights to make informed decisions for herself in a secure and safe environment,” the Mayor concluded.