The past week has been a real thriller rollercoaster ride that has left many of us shook and confused by the leadership of uMama uSusan Shabangu. The minister of women has steady been shaming victims of abuse and pretty much voicing triggering remarks and dropping these bombshells everywhere.
The latest incident being this afternoon at a press briefing on gender-based violence where Shabangu did a LIVE 360 on us. on Wednesday the minister absolutely denied having said what she said in the eNCA Checkpoint interview, saying:
"That was not me. No, I was not there, I was preparing for today."
uBabes wamanga said -- during the people -- that she knows nothing of a comment she had made ON WEDNESDAY on eNCA's Checkpoint:
Shabangu's words verbatim: "She was weak and hence she became a victim of abuse. As she tried to deal with her situation in sharing it with other abused women, she ended up being a victim of abuse."
I mean?! Siphi na apha guys??? Firstly, you are going to say the things and then undermine us by basically telling us that we don't know what we heard? Or that we heard wrong, or whatever. OK.
I don't know about everyone else, but I am not convinced that I am led here. There is no way I can feel safe knowing that there actually isn't a plan in place to protect women and to ensure that there are proper channels that women can go through in order to ensure that there is help at hand.
During the service of the late Karabo Mokoena, Shabangu said being proactive in prayer will help us succeed in decreasing the numbers of women getting murdered as a result of gender based violence.
"As government we can have programmes. They're not going to be successful if they're isolating the society as a whole. Various women's organisations, men's organisations, men for prayer, they need to pray in a way that is proactive, that is action orientated. And that's the only way we can succeed."
Uhm, please mama before you come to us with prayer, let's start with what programs, plans or intentions you have of dealing with the violence that is inflicted on women's bodies by their intimate partners every. single. day. Also when has prayer worked to save the victims of gender based violence? Just prayer?
Wow.
I still want to know what it is exactly that the ANC's comrade Shabangu does for women. Many of us didn't even know that her portfolio was a thing that existed, because honestly what has she done in her tenure as Minister of Women?
Susan Shabangu who is the most silent minister in the cabinet. She does nothing & says nothing. Unknown nje https://t.co/yMGksVflfq
— Yolanda (@_YolandaM) May 17, 2017
Femicide is a real issue and it is not good enough that ministers such as Shabangu just wax lyrical on it when someone dies. These ministers have a task and should fulfil their responsibilities in their respective portfolios without waiting to be told to do their jobs.