ArticlesMediaPolicing, Violence PreventionBulldog Has Teeth to Bite Alex ThugsWhen Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete announced the need to "deal with crime the way a bulldog deals with a bone", he could not have envisaged a more suitably placed or aptly named candidate as Bulldog Rathokolo. Named for his persistence, stamina and determination to see things through, Bulldog looks set to take a bite out of violent crime… Read More CSVRSeptember 17, 2000
ArticlesMediaGender-based ViolenceChallenges from Killer's Life of MiseryThus is the story of "Johanna Smit", sentenced in 1997 to 20 years for the murder of her abusive husband. Johanna met her second husband "Thinus" through a magazine advertisement. Within four months of meeting for the first time, they were married. And so began a long history of broken promises, leading systematically to Johanna's near-complete dependence on "Thinus". Once… Read More CSVRAugust 27, 2000
ArticlesMediaGender-based ViolenceIt's Time Teenage Rape Is RecognisedThe "in-between" space adolescent girls have in South African society places them in a uniquely vulnerable position. Possessing neither the innocent appeal of children nor the life experience of adults, they frequently fall between the cracks in the criminal justice system. As a result their experiences of sexual violence are denied and down-played. Training by the Centre for the Study… Read More CSVRJuly 30, 2000
ArticlesMediaGender-based ViolenceUltimately, Society Must Protect Women"God made men and women equal and Smith and Wesson makes damn sure it stays that way". A clear warning - even a call to arms - this slogan appeared on posters pasted up in Yeoville during the early 1990's when the Yeoville Rapist terrorised women living in the area. The posters provoked controversy and were subsequently removed as not… Read More CSVRJuly 2, 2000
ArticlesMediaGender-based Violence, Gun ViolenceEven 'Legal' Guns Need to Be ScrutinisedLast week Solomon Mhlongo was sentenced to an effective 23 years in prison for the murder of his common-law wife Elizabeth and five-year old daughter Tlaleng. Two years earlier he emptied a magazine of bullets into Elizabeth and Tlaleng, stopped to reload and then continued firing until the gun jammed. Elizabeth was left sprawled at the side of the bed,… Read More CSVRJune 4, 2000
ArticlesMediaGender-based ViolenceThe 'Law is an Ass,' Judge WillisThe opinions Judge Willis expressed in the case of Beverly Whitehead versus Woolworths have earned him column inches of notoriety. But his judicial musings on the proper place and nature of women are not new; indications of his conservativism were already apparent from S versus Bennett, a 1999 judgement relating to domestic violence. The matter involved an appeal against the… Read More CSVRMay 7, 2000
