It is unfortunate that the Sowetan in a story headlined 4m fugitive keeps herself one step ahead of the police published 28 September 2020, decides not to believe that Bathobile Mlangeni is a victim of gender based violence.
The newspaper states that Bathobile “..Sought refuge in a three –roomed RDP house…under the pretext of being on the run from an “abusive boyfriend.”
Pretext is defined as a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason.
The story failed to state that if indeed Bathobile had a boyfriend during the time the alleged crime was committed. It also fails to prove that she was not abused.
Violence against women in South Africa has shown that no woman is spared from it, as women from different races and social class have been victims.
The story trivialises the matter and fails to take into account that if the abuse had happened it might have pushed Bathobile to commit the alleged crime as she needed money to flee from her abuser who had threatened to “make the docket disappear” because he is a police officer. Also, Bathobile might have committed the alleged crime under duress from the said police officer.
By belittling the reason the Sowetan perpetuates the idea that only a certain type of woman can be abused. Saying Bathobile cannot be abused because she is an alleged criminal is no different from asking a woman what she was wearing when she was raped.
It is a duty of all of us in society to create an environment that allows all women, to speak out against violence without having to worry that they will not be believed because of their other life choices.
From Luzuko Pongoma
Naturena
NB: This letter was published in the Sowetan Newspaper on the 30 September 2020. It was a response to the story with the link below
https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-09-28-woman-who-stole-millions-from-mall-of-africa-continues-to-give-the-cops-the-slip/
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