01 November 2011

Gang-raped, beaten and stabbed 25 times, she was the lesbian activist and football star whose murder blew open South Africa's hate crime epidemic. But more than two years after the death of Eudy Simelane, the government has done nothing to halt the barbaric sex attacks dubbed 'corrective' rape. Campaigners say that ten women are now assaulted every week by men who claim to be 'curing' their victims of homosexuality. The attacks are often accompanied by such horrifying violence that women are left permanently scarred - or fatally injured.

A MEETING between the government and the media ended yesterday with both parties agreeing to direct their energies towards "building national pride and self-belief without stifling critical public debate".

North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Desbo Mohono, has called for the implementation of the Integrated Provincial Strategy to reduce and combat sexual offences to be intensified.The call follows an increase in rape cases - 3 586 cases of rape were reported in the province during the 2010/2011 financial year.The Integrated Provincial Strategy is linked to the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), which coordinates crime prevention initiatives to ensure that communities enjoy good community police relations.The objective of the NCPS is to also restore confidence in the ability of government to provide accessible, efficient, effective, accountable, transformed and reliable services.

Engagement between government and South Africa's news media should be directed towards assisting the country's continuing transition from apartheid to democracy and building national pride and self-belief, without stifling critical public debate. Government and media also have to establish and sustain mutual trust and respect for the roles these institutions play in consolidating the democracy envisioned in the Constitution.This was one of the outcomes of the meeting on Saturday 29 October 2011 between the government and members of the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) at the Velmore Hotel and Conference Centre west of Pretoria. This was the sixth high-level consultation between the parties since 2001.