JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national address on the government’s plans to tackle gender-based violence has offered the family of the late Ntombifuthi Nxumalo a glimmer of hope.
Nxumalo's body was discovered on Saturday next to Mooifontein cemetery in Thembisa.
Speaking to eNCA moments after the address on Tuesday night, the family spokesperson Linda Nhleko said roping in various departments and ordering them to take various tasks is a step in the right direction.
“His efforts show that government wants this to end.
While he praised Ramaphosa, Nhleko said the government's efforts will be in vain if the community does not step up and play their role in reporting these heinous crimes.
“I have said this before, and I will say it again. The community of Thembisa is one of the best in South Africa because they did not sit back to defend the perpetrator but instead pointed him out, he said.”
Police believe Nxumalo could have been stoned to death.
READ | From broken streetlights to stalled cases: Ramaphosa outlines four GBV immediate
One suspect was arrested in Mohlabaneng village in Limpopo as part of their investigation into Nxumalo's death.
During a national address on Tuesday night, Ramaphosa announced four immediate measures to deal with gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the country.
Deadlines in these measures ranged from 60 days to 90 days.
These included a national case recovery operation into unresolved GBVF cases involving women and children, dealing with forensic backlog, ensuring women’s safety through audits, as well as intensifying enforcement of existing liquor laws and by-laws.