Johannesburg - The Ethiopian Episcopal Church Women’s Movement (EECWM) has called on authorities to offer Amathole District Municipality councillor Nanziwe Rulashe close personal protection so that she may continue to do her work without fear.
The movement expressed shock and also called on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in apprehending the people who have made an attempt on Rulashe’s life. They want the perpetrators to be brought to book and called on to give an account of themselves for these senseless acts of violence.
Rulashe made headlines when videos emerged in which she was allegedly dragged by armed men from the municipal offices in East London.
Rulashe’s house was riddled with bullets when gunmen opened fire on her home in the early hours of the morning in late January. She was not at home when the attack happened.
According to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, Cambridge police opened a case of attempted murder.
Kinana said the incident took place at about 2am in Baysville and said the gunman aimed at Rulashe’s bedroom. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
EECWM President Liziwe Ngubelanga said they urge all people to take time to pause and remind society that South Africa is riddled with the scourge of gender-based violence.
“Every time such acts happen, society takes 10 steps back in our quest to overcome the ills of gender-based violence. Such acts have no place in society. The EECWM will stop at nothing to ensure that there is justice for Rulashe,” said Ngubelanga.
The organisation has started a programme against gender-based violence. They invited women who work in the sector to share information and strategies for overcoming violence with their members.
They have vowed to continue unabated to ensure that their anti-gender based violence strategies and messages reach all corners of the country.
“We call on authorities to be mindful of their actions and deeds against women and children regardless of what they may think. We also call on our society, and men in particular, to be more sensitive to the plight of women, no matter how right they may think they are,” she said.
Ngubelanga said the EECWM is a movement aimed at advancing the plight of women. They have offered prayers toward the plight of Rulashe and hope that sanity prevails and that she is able to live her life without fear.
Political Bureau