14/09/2026
Women Deserve Freedom, Not Fear
Five women’s bodies found in and around Kempton Park in approximately two months.
One of them was 38-year-old Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo — a woman who left her home to go for a run and never came home.
Five women.
Bodies found partially clothed. Visible bruising. Similar circumstances. Police are now investigating whether the cases are connected.
9,201 reported r**es in 90 days.
More than 100 reported r**es every single day in South Africa.
And those are only the cases that were reported.
It is utterly disgusting that, against this backdrop, the narrative so often becomes that women should take EXTRA measures to stay safe.
Yes, given the current state of South Africa and the reality that violent crime remains a serious problem, women need to be vigilant.
HOWEVER — why should this be accepted as normal?
Why can women not simply enjoy a sense of freedom?
Why must a woman constantly be on high alert?
Why must she second-guess every meeting, every person, every lift, every date, every parking area and every situation?
Why must she think twice about where she walks, what time she leaves, whether she should go somewhere alone, who she can trust and whether she will make it home safely?
When did simply being female become a reason to live in fear?
The conversation cannot constantly be about what women should have done differently.
She should have been more careful.
She shouldn't have gone alone.
She shouldn't have trusted him.
She shouldn't have met him there.
She should have shared her location.
She should have carried pepper spray.
She should have watched her drink.
She should have locked the door.
She should have known better.
ENOUGH.
Perhaps the question should stop being:
“What more can women do to protect themselves?”
And start being:
“Why are so many men still willing to harm women, and why are we failing to stop them?”
A woman is not property.
S*x is not something to be taken.
A woman's body is not something another person is entitled to.
Violence against women is not a right.
And fear should never be the price a woman has to pay for freedom.
We should not be teaching women how to make themselves smaller, quieter, more suspicious and more restricted simply so that they can survive.
We should be building a country where women can live freely without constantly calculating the possibility of becoming the next victim.
Society has failed women.
The police have failed women.
Government has failed women.
The justice system has failed women.
Women do not need another lecture about being more careful.
Women need to BE SAFE.
9,201 r**es were recorded from April to June 2026.
In just the past few weeks, several cases involving violence against women have made South African news:
Zodwa Prudence Magwaza, 43 — Durban: allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend in Cornubia. Police said she tried to run for help but collapsed at a neighbour’s doorstep and died.
Jabulisile Josephina Tshabalala, 37 — Soweto: found stabbed to death in Orlando East after being missing for several days. Her live-in boyfriend was arrested in connection with the murder.
Amanda Kosani, 37 — Eastern Cape: killed on Women’s Day after reportedly having previously been seen with injuries, including a black eye and split lip.
Limpopo, first nine days of August: police opened multiple cases involving the murder, r**e and kidnapping of women and girls. One 26-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped from her home by armed men and found shot dead the following day; another woman was found behind a church with multiple stab wounds.
And these are not isolated headlines. The latest quarterly crime statistics reported 569 women murdered in three months and 9,201 reported r**es between April and June 2026 — roughly 100 reported r**es per day.
And what is the message to women?
Be more careful.
Exercise in groups.
Avoid isolated areas.
Be vigilant.
Take EXTRA measures to stay safe.
And THAT is what is utterly disgusting........
Women need a safer society not more restrictions.
