South Africa's ruling ANC decries surge of killing of women, children

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday voiced grave concern over the surge of killing of women and children in South Africa.

It is with grave concern that the ANC has noted the increase in reports of mostly young women dying gruesome deaths at the hands of their intimate partners, the party said in a statement.

"These senseless and barbaric acts must be condemned by all in society and are an affront to our collective commitment to build a society where all people are and feel safe," the party said.

The ANC called on the South African Police Service to leave no stone unturned to find and bring to book the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.

"Society has a responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable amongst us are protected at all times. We call on men in particular to reject and actively organize against this scourge which robs us of our mothers and sisters; our nation's pride," ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

Also on Thursday, President Jacob Zuma visited the family of three-year-old Courtney Pieters, who was raped and murdered by a family friend in Cape Town earlier this month.

"I have personally conveyed on behalf of government our deepest condolence to the Pieters family," said Zuma.

He expressed his shock and condemnation of the criminal elements in society who commit atrocious acts of violence and murder of women and children.

The murder of Pieters "is pointing to something fundamentally wrong in society that someone can do this to a child", Zuma said.

Zuma visited Pieters' family to provide support and also to further raise awareness of the need to end the scourge of the attacks on women and children, presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

Just before Pieters was murdered, the killing of Karabo Mokoena, a teenage girl, had already shocked the nation. Mokoena was murdered by her boyfriend in Johannesburg in April after a heated argument.

South Africa has among the highest rates in the world for the rape and murder of women.

Statistics show that a woman is killed every eight hours in South Africa. More than 1,000 women are killed by an intimate partner each year.

Intimate partner femicide, which is the most serious form of domestic violence, is the leading cause of the murder of women in South Africa.

A study by the SA Medical Research Council showed that the vast majority of female homicides went unpunished, with less than 38 percent of intimate-partner femicides leading to conviction in less than two years. Endit