Action SA Leader, Herman Mashaba Calls Out President Cyril Ramaphosa in Women’s Day Speech on GBV

Action SA Leader, Herman Mashaba Calls Out President Cyril Ramaphosa in Women’s Day Speech on GBV

  • Action essay leader, Herman Mashaba, has thrown shots at President Cyril Ramaphosa after his keynote address on Women's Day
  • Mashaba said that listening to Cyril Ramaphosa speak was like listening to a leader in the opposition government
  • DA MP Siviwe Gwarube also had remarks for the president, stating that the rape and murder of every woman in the country is the president’s fault
President Cyril Ramaphosa and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba
Action SA's Herman Mashaba has said that listening to Cyril Ramaphosa speaks is like listening to the leader of the opposition in government. Images: Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images & Phill Magakoe/AFP
Source: Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG - Herman Mashaba, leader of ActionSA, has reflected on President Cyril Ramaphosa's Women’s Day speech, remarking that the president sounds like an opposition leader in government.

Speaking at this year's Women’s Day event on Tuesday, 9 August, at Silahla Sports Field in Richmond, KZN President Ramaphosa said that the scourge of gender-based violence could no longer be permitted to run rampant undeterred, TimeLIVE reported.

Ramaphosa said:

“The women of SA have had enough of being afraid. Afraid to go out after dark, of being attacked in their own homes, of being preyed on in the classroom, for the safety of their children and even from their own relatives,”

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Mashaba took to Twitter to make his thoughts on the president's keynote address known:

“To be honest listening to the president is like listening to a leader of the opposition in government”

DA MP criticises Ramaphosa's Women's Day speech

DA MP Siviwe Gwarube also had some choice words for President Ramaphosa. In a speech delivered following a march to Phakamila Mabija police station in Kimberly, Gwarube said that Women’s Day is not an awareness campaign for GBV or femicide. It is an opportunity to assess how far the nation has come and how far we must still go to achieve gender equality.

The MP had a personal message for President Ramaphosa, saying:

“for every woman who is raped or killed in this country, it is on you, Mr President. It is on you because you protect a minister who is clearly out of touch and ill-suited for the job,” said Gwarube.

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This comment was about police minister Bheki Cele who recently commented that a rape victim was lucky one man only raped her.

South Africans react to the former DA mayor’s tweet

Some south Africans agree with the ActionSA leader, claiming the ANC is the root of GBVF, while others doubt that he could do a better job.

Here are some comments:

@cousinNorman said:

"Indeed. Whose fault is it that women are living in fear and nothig is being done to sort out all types of crime. The ANC gutterment doesn't care."

@Blessed11587260 rebutted:

"Tell us your answer to rid SA of GBV, please. To criticise is easy."

@KhethaniXimba commented:

"What is the plan, we’re tired of his poems “we have to act, we’re doing all we can” what are we expecting from a criminal president"

@ChaosADza tweeted:

"But they're lucky if they only get raped by one asshole according to his minister of police"

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ANC throws full support behind ActionSA's Dr Nasiphi Moya for Tshwane's vacant mayoral seat

Action SA leader Herman Mashaba wants Motsoaledi to form task team to deal with foreigners committing crime

Briefly News previously reported that Action SA leader and founder Herman Mashaba has called on the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, to form a specialised unit to ensure that illegal immigrants are deported after being convicted of a crime.

Mashaba's call comes after a foreign national was accused of making fake R100 notes in a video clip that has been circulating online.

The Action SA leader first questioned how a serious criminal like the one who is being accused made his way to South Africa. He also prompted Motsoaledi to take proper action and ensure that such criminals go back home after serving their sentence.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lerato Mutsila avatar

Lerato Mutsila (Current affairs editor) Lerato Mutsila is a journalist with 3 years of experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Pearson Institute of Higher Education in 2020, majoring in broadcast journalism, political science and communication. Lerato joined the Briefly News current affairs desk in August 2022. Mutsila is also a fellow of the 2021/2022 Young African Journalists Acceleration programme, which trained African journalists in climate journalism. You can contact Lerato at lerato.mutsila@breifly.co.za