TAKE A STAND - Ilitha Labantu calls on mense to stop turning a blind eye after vroue are attacked on train and taxi

MENSE must stop recording videos and just stand by when they witness gender-based violence attacks. 

Instead, Siyabulela Monakali, spokesperson for Ilitha Labantu, a non-profit organisation promoting Women Rights and eliminating the violence against women and children, calls on Capetonians to “act safely and decisively when witnessing violence”.

Monakali spoke to the Daily Voice following two deeply disturbing gender-based violence videos that went viral on social media at the weekened. 

As the country celebrated the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children, two women were beaten up in separate incidents while using public transport in Cape Town.

One video shows a group of commuters sitting rustig agteroor they watch a woman being slapped and kicked by a young man on a train. 

The video shows the young man klapping the woman, who appears to be under the influence, in the face and then threatening to hit her again, as a group of laaities can be heard poking fun at the situation saying “wind is uit”. 

The woman can be heard saying “los hom” and moves to the next carriage when the young man runs after her and kicks her until she falls to the ground. All the while, the group of laaities can be heard making comments and laughing at the incident.

Commuters in the train continue to stand by and watch but no one intervenes.

In a separate video which surfaced online on Monday, a young woman was attacked in a Wynberg to Strandfontein taxi.  

The video shows the man shoving and attacking the woman, who is seated in the back of a taxi, while the rest of the passengers remain quiet and seated while the incident is being filmed.

While mense have condemned the incidents on social media, Monakali told the Daily Voice: “These incidents, emerging during the 16 Days of Activism, expose the widening contradiction between national commitments to end violence and the daily realities confronting women and girls across the country.

“These assaults are a stark reminder of how normalised violence has become in South Africa. Women are being attacked openly, in broad daylight, and in full view of the public. Public transport, which should be a space of mobility, dignity and safety, has increasingly become a site of vulnerability where harassment and violence occur without consequence.

“A deeply troubling aspect of these videos is the inaction of bystanders. People stood or sat by while the assaults unfolded, choosing to record the incidents instead of intervening, alerting authorities or calling for help. This silence reflects a society that has grown desensitised to violence and where the responsibility to protect women has eroded. Such inaction strengthens a culture of impunity and signals to perpetrators that they can act without accountability…

“The fight against gender based violence cannot be reduced to symbolic campaigns. It requires a collective social commitment in which communities refuse to remain passive observers and instead act safely and decisively when witnessing violence.

“Ilitha Labantu calls for strengthened public education on bystander responsibility, improved safety measures within public transport systems and a renewed societal commitment to protecting women and children…”