Gauteng acting premier Lebogang Maile said gender-based violence (GBV), particularly from police officers who are supposed to protect the community, should be met with harsh consequences to set the tone straight.
Image: Itumeleng English/African News Agency(ANA)
Gauteng acting premier Lebogang Maile said gender-based violence (GBV), particularly from police officers who are supposed to protect the community, should be met with harsh consequences to set the tone straight.
This follows the murder of a woman traffic warden by her boyfriend who is also a police officer.
Earlier this week in Eldorado, Johannesburg, a 42-year-old police officer was taken into custody and charged with murder after he allegedly used his service weapon to kill his 22-year-old lover Chesnay Patricia Keppler, at her house.
It is alleged that shortly before she was killed, the pair allegedly got into a domestic argument.
Maile visited the victim's family on Saturday to convey his condolences. The visit was also extended to the Eldorado police station to address the issue surrounding GBV.
Speaking to the media, Maile wished for the state not to pay for the police officer's legal bills because it would send the wrong message.
"I hope the state is not paying, he must pay for his bills. We need to be harsh and the message must be clear and we must be consistent because if we are going to treat animals like people then we are going to end up with a situation that is perpetual... This is the behaviour of an animal," he said.
According to the acting premier, their visit to the victims' families would seem like they are parading or pulling a PR stunt if there was no proper action.
"We should be talking here about the developmental issues, we should be here talking about what we are doing in this community and not talking about a crime that has been perpetrated by a police officer who's supposed to be protecting us.
"I think we need to be a bit firm and decisive so that we can show that we are serious about fighting crime and GBV as well," he said.
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