Zanele Potelwa Questions 'Be Vigilant' Advice After Kempton Park Bodies Found

• Presenter Zanele Potelwa called out authorities for urging women to be vigilant after multiple bodies were discovered in Kempton Park
• Potelwa questioned what women are supposed to do after noticing danger, arguing vigilance alone cannot protect them
• Her post directed at SAPS, the government and President Ramaphosa drew a wave of responses from South African women

TV presenter Zanele Potelwa has spoken out against the advice given to South African women to "be vigilant" following the discovery of multiple women's bodies in the Kempton Park area. In a passionate address that has since gone viral, she tore apart the idea that awareness alone is enough to keep women safe.

Potelwa did not mince her words. She described a scenario where a woman is out for a run, comes from the gym, or goes about her normal daily life, alert and watchful, and then encounters a man with a weapon or a group of men attempting to kidnap her. She said, questioning what is supposed to happen in that moment when vigilance has already been exercised, and danger has already arrived:

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"I'm vigilant, I notice the danger, then what do I do?"

What Zanele said to SAPS and government

The presenter turned her frustration directly toward those in power, urging the government and the South African Police Service to take action. She argued that the focus needs to shift toward making South Africa an environment where perpetrators do not feel free to commit crimes.

"Make sure that the perpetrators are not the perpetrators. Create a South Africa where perpetrators don't feel comfortable enough to commit such heinous and disgusting crimes."

She addressed SAPS and President Cyril Ramaphosa directly.

"Our government, South African Police Service, just do something. It's enough now. It's genuinely enough."

In a follow-up Instagram post, Zanele Potelwa expressed her condolences to a woman named Elizabeth, her family and her daughter, as well as every other victim. She tagged @sapoliceservice_za, @governmentza and @cyrilramaphosa, writing: "For how long must this continue? For how long?"

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Watch the Instagram video below:

Mzansi responds to Zanele's post

The post resonated deeply with women across the country, many of whom shared their own fears and frustrations in the comments.

@_blackpride wrote:

"And if Tsontso hadn't gone missing, we wouldn't have known about all these bodies... let alone the residents of Kempton Park. 'Viligilant' my foot bethunana."

@_who__me pointed out:

"Even the woman who had sent her location to her friends, made sure they knew about her whereabouts, came back in a body bag!!!"

@olwe0910 shared:

"I started jogging 3 weeks ago. I've been changing my routine every second, the location I go to and times because I'm afraid these perpetrators can cram/notice my schedule. WE ARE VIGILANT; we live in fear anytime and everywhere."

@tshaka96 asked:

"How did a serial killer manage to kill five women in the same area? This is deeply concerning."

@lusakhanya_k added:

"The 6th body was discovered this morning; I'm exhausted."

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@nolwandle__n said:

"WTH do you mean take precautions? Our homes are meant to be safe, our hobbies are meant to be safe, our schools are meant to be safe."

@parkerrubyrose simply wrote:

"Curfews for men."

Police confirmed most victims were assaulted

Police confirmed that most of the women found dead in the Kempton Park area had been sexually assaulted, with two bodies discovered completely naked.

A fifth body was reportedly found in the area, raising urgent concerns about the safety of women in the community.

Source: Briefly News