The South African Communist Party’s (SACP) General Secretary, Blade Nzimande, is concerned about the escalation of gender-based violence in the country.

His comment follows a rise in the number of women and children who have been abused, raped or killed in recent weeks.

Speaking in Ekurhuleni where the SACP has convened a national Imbizo, Nzimande says urgent solutions should be found to end the problem.

He says, “We cannot pretend as if this is not happening. We will need to reflect on this and hopefully come up with what is to be done because if we do not stand up to confront this we are faced with the real prospects of decay in communities and social fabric of our society.”

“We need to give hope to women, children and our people as a whole. I am also raising this growing level of violence because it is men in the main who are inflicting this violence.”