Man in blue jacket sits in a courtroom. The Commission for Gender Equality has commended the justice system for the efficiency and speed in the Alutha Pasile murder trial, and appealed for similar focus on the cases against rape accused televangelist Timothy Omotoso. File Photo: Raahil Sain/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria – The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has commended the “speed and efficiency” with which prosecutors and the court handled the murder case against Alutha Pasile, describing it as a model that should be applied to all cases of gender-based violence and femicide.
"South Africa is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence against women and girls, and this calls for aggressive and speedy resolution of police investigations and court cases," said CGE chairperson Tamara Mathebula.
The commission further called on the criminal justice system to speed up all gender-based violence and femicide-related cases that have stalled in the system.
The South African government has committed to the global Sustainable Development Goals, one of which is to end gender-based violence by 2030.
"With just less than 10 years left before 2030 and the gender-based violence scourge escalating at the current pace, South Africa will likely miss this SDG target and that will be a poor reflection of the country's efforts in the fight against violence on women. That would render the country's commemoration of Women's Month and 16 Days of Activism as useless," Mathebula said.
The Eastern Cape High Court, sitting as a circuit court in East London, sentenced 25-year-old Pasile to 25 years’ imprisonment for the murder of 23-year-old Nosicelo Mtebeni. Pasile was further sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for attempting to defeat the course of justice.
In his guilty plea, Pasile stated that he had attacked Mtebeni after he discovered “I love you” and “I miss you” messages on her cellphone. The National Prosecuting Authority said Pasile confronted Mtebeni and accused her of cheating.
However, evidence presented by senior State advocate Nickie Turner during aggravation of sentence revealed that these messages in fact were sent to Mtebeni by Pasile in 2019.
The CGE has also reiterated calls for the justice system to move with the same efficiency and speed in the rape case against televangelist Timothy Omotoso in the Port Elizabeth High Court.
“One of the recommendations of the commission’s gender transformation hearings in the institutions of higher learning is the greater need to ensure safety of students in both technical and vocational education training colleges (TVET) and universities. These include those staying in campuses and off-campus residences and other facilities that are rented by these institutions,” Mathebula said.
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