By: Natasha Archary
The Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation marched to parliament to hand over a memorandum demanding action to stop gender-based violence.
It’s been two years since Uyinene Mrwetyana was murdered by Post Office employee Luyanda Botha in Claremont. Her partially burned body was found dumped in Khayelitsha.
Uyinene was a student at UCT at the time of her untimely passing in August 2019 at the age of 19. Her murder brought to the fore the GBV debate across the country and internationally. The UCT student body and community members at large marched to Parliament to present a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa to urge the government to put an end to GBV.
#PostOfficeToParliament The #UyineneMrwetyana Foundation has arrived in Parliament to deliver post cards to a delegation from Parliament pic.twitter.com/ZyUaMWWpZz
— Amukelani Chauke (@Amu_keh_larney) August 28, 2021
In the open letter to the president, the foundation wrote:
“We who are women, children and LGBTQIA+ persons know too well the effect of Gender-Based Violence upon our homes and our children. We who are not survivors know how our communities suffer. For us, Gender-Based Violence is violence against all in South Africa.
We know that:
* That homes will be broken up when Gender-Based Violence is left unchecked.
* That women, children and LGBTQIA+ people will be exposed to humiliation and degradation at the hands of violent perpetrators.
* That women, children and LGBTQIA+ people will lose their right to move freely from one place to another.We, the people of South Africa, call upon our government to take meaningful action against Gender-Based Violence. We shall not rest until we have won for our children their fundamental rights of freedom, justice and security.” – Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation
The Mrwetyana family extended their condolences to Nosicelo Mtebeni’s family.
“As the Mrwetyana family, having experienced such a senseless act, we wish to pass our condolences and say that we feel your pain… your pain is ours. As a family, we are also fighting gender-based violence on behalf of all the families that have gone through the same horror.”
The 23-year old’s chopped and mutilated body was found dumped in suitcases in East London last week.



