Gang violence has gotten out of control in the Cape Flats region to a point where the army has been dispersed in certain areas in order to curb the fighting. This increase in gang violence has also lead to an increase in the abuse suffered by women and children on a daily basis.

Dorothea Gertse, a shelter manager at the Saartjie Baartman Centre in Manenberg explains that at this point, the women are fearful for their lives and their children’s lives.

Even though a woman might be able to escape her circumstances and escape the abuse, she will in most cases return to the community where violence occurs.

“They return to their same circumstances, not by choice, but because they have no other options,” Gertse explained.

Law enforcement is doing their part in securing the safety in some cases, but there is sometimes a delayed response between when the abuse occurs and when the police are able to respond to the crime.

“Women end up having to go to the station, but sometimes their partners prevent them from reporting the abuse,” Gertse went further.

“These women feel trapped, as if nothing can be done for them”.

Women are thus subjected to abuse from the streets as well as in their homes. Gang violence is an everyday nightmare which has a negative impact on the community. Similarly men that are involved in drugs and with gangs in most cases end up inflicting the abuse that they receive in the gangs, on the innocent victims in their homes.

“The community would prefer for the police to react immediately when such abuse occurs, as woman are threatened with their lives”.

“Every six hours in South Africa a woman is killed by her intimate partner,” Gertse stated.

This can be noted as well in the numerous cases of femicide that have made news headlines.

It is therefore not only women in gangster stricken areas that suffer abuse, but women from any grouping, any race, any religion that may be subjected to abuse from their partner.

However, women in gang stricken areas seems to be highly affected as gang violence can manifest itself into the homes and the likely hood of escape is limited

“The perpetrators have threatened us at the centre,” Gertse explained.

Woman may find refuge in a shelter such as the Saartjie Baartman centre only to have their abuser follow them.

“The women feel that it is safer for them to stay in that relationship, as their partners threaten their lives should they leave,” Gerste added.

Children are being severely affected by the gang violence as well.

“This can be seen by the way children interact with each other, they imitate that which they were exposed to”.

Religious groups in Manenberg area are assisting in alleviating the violence as well as the Manenberg Safety Forum.

“The women have stood up in the community against violence as they can see the impact that gang violence has on their children,” Gertse said. VOC (Umarah Hartley)