EFF statement on the rape and murder of Mokalapa Sonia Madume, the daughter of Ekurhuleni RCT member Protia Mokapa
26 March 2023
The Economic Freedom Fighters Gauteng is deeply troubled by the gruesome and inhumane murder of the daughter of RCT(Regional Command Team) of Ekurhuleni Fighter Portia Mokalapa, Mokalapa Sonia Madume.
Fighter Portia left for home in Limpopo on Thursday and had left her 18 year-old daughter back in their home in Daveyton. She called her daughter on Saturday morning to check up on her and couldn't get hold of her.
She sent people to check on the house on Friday only to find that there was no one inside the house however visible signs of breaking in. Upon her return she realised that the bed was unusually placed and decided to lift it, where she found the lifeless body of her beloved daughter, stuffed in her bed. It is believed she was raped and strangled to death.
We remain deeply troubled by the war waged against women by men. Women live and breathe at the mercy of blood thirsty men. As if that's not enough we are further subjected to an incompetent policing and justice system.
The scourge of rape and femicide have broken through the fabric of our society where criminals do as they please because they know the South African Police Service is incapacitated and has no political will to combat crime.
We have consistently called out the rising of the murder and rape crime statistics in Gauteng due to the incompetence and lack of political will of the SAPS and the leadership in the province. In Q3 ( 1st Oct — 31 Dec 2022), alone, murder cases have increase by 7.1% , rape case have went up by 9%, and Over 278 women murdered.
This paints a very grim picture of the lived experiences of women in society Dreadful crimes in our townships continue to rise because of the material conditions that our people find themselves in, where people are nonchalant about the black body, thus rendering it disposable.
May this chapter be instructive to all of us on the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and the need to fight against the war on the women of this country We call on the Police to treat this case with the urgency and sincerity it deserves.
That the investigation must not drag on for a long time as this will serve to worsen the situation. We also call on members of the community to assist with any information which may speed the investigation We deeply mourn with the family of our regional leader Fighter Portia Mokalapa and we wish to send our heartfelt condolences.
Issued by Nkululeko Dunga, Provincial Chairperson, EFF, 26 March 2023
