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Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Ladies In South Africa, "a woman is safe in neither a shack nor a mansion."

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 1:51 PM

The world is captivated by the grisly death of South American model Reeva Steenkamps, who was fatally shot on Valentines Day by her boyfriend, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius. She was beautiful, he was a national hero, and the debate rages as to whether Pistorius mistook Steenkamps for a burglar, as he claims, or whether prosecutors can prove the shooting was a result of domestic violence.

Regardless of this high-profile case, violence against women is common in South Africa. Slog tipper Kate brought my attention to another, very clear and deliberate act of rape and mutilation against a poor South African teenager—the details of which are hauntingly familiar—that isn't getting as much press as it should:

At about 4am on February 2, a security guard found [17-year-old Anene] Booysen with parts of her intestines next to her in the dirt at a construction site. She had been gang raped and died about six hours later in hospital – after identifying one of her attackers. Two men, Jonathan Davids (23), who is reported to be Booysen’s ex-boyfriend and a family friend, and Johannes Kana (21), appeared in the Bredasdorp Magistrate’s Court this week on charges of rape and murder.

... If the South African reaction to Booysen’s rape and murder is anything to go by, water and lights still take precedence over the safety of women and children. The question is: Why?

A New York Times editorial yesterday hypothesized that these twin deaths—Steenkamps's and Booysen's—are finally pricking public consciousness about the country's problems with misogyny and violence against women:

Violence against women and girls is rampant here. Just two weeks before Ms. Steenkamp was shot, South Africa woke up to news of the death of 17-year-old Anene Booysen, a poor black girl who had been raped, disemboweled and left to die on a construction site in a small town on the country’s south coast. Experts say that a woman is raped every four minutes in South Africa. Many die at the hands of partners, siblings and friends. The gruesome rape and murder of the 17-year-old Ms. Booysen, a foster child, was framed by some, including the editor of a major newspaper, as a story of what happens when poverty and absent biological parents reduce one’s chances of living a flourishing life.

But the Pistorius case tells us that brutal violence against women is an equal-opportunity affliction in South Africa; it has no respect for whether its victims are rich or poor, black or white, suburban or rural. Our society is drenched in violence. A woman is safe in neither a shack nor a mansion.

I certainly hope so.

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Posted by Lissa on February 21, 2013 at 2:05 PM

"... South American model Reeva Steenkamps"

I think you mean South African

Posted by genevieve on February 21, 2013 at 2:08 PM

Also, Steenkamp, not Steenkamps.

Posted by sssssssss on February 21, 2013 at 2:44 PM

You certainly hope so? That's an absolutely vile thing to say.

I would certainly hope that rich women are raped and murdered as much as any woman!

Posted by TheMisanthrope on February 21, 2013 at 3:06 PM

The statistics in the SA article are shocking. They appear to have serial rapists running around free to hurt people. Where is the police?

Posted by anon1256 on February 21, 2013 at 3:08 PM

@5 The police are part of the problem down there.

Posted by StuckInUtah on February 21, 2013 at 3:16 PM

Among the black population it is widely believed having sex with a virgin will cure AIDS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_clea…

That's rape culture.

Posted by Rotten666 on February 21, 2013 at 4:25 PM

@4, "I certainly hope so" means he hopes these cases "are finally pricking public consciousness about the country's problems with misogyny and violence against women." Coulda placed that a little more carefully in the post, though, I agree...confused me for a second too.

Posted by g on February 21, 2013 at 4:30 PM

Chuck,
Thanks for reminding everyone that Africans are filthy barbarous savages with no moral compass.

Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me on February 21, 2013 at 4:41 PM

@4 - Your myopic view of Cienna's writing, and inflexibility to reconsider your views on what are traditionally known as "women's issues", make it difficult to appreciate you as a whole.

@ 7 - Too transparent in your desire to designate what constitutes "real" rape culture.

@9 - This is about cultures than normalize violence against women. South Africa is not the first, nor last culture to become the focus of this normalization. Thanks for completely missing the point though, you're a good reminder that Slog denizens are very consistent in their ways.

Posted by goodjobguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:20 PM

@10 Yeah, I think you are really trying too hard to stir up some shit when there really is no shit to stir. But whatever makes you feel better about yourself.

Posted by Rotten666 on February 21, 2013 at 7:01 PM

Cienna, what's with your infatuation with every rape story, anyway?

Posted by Unbrainwashed on February 21, 2013 at 10:58 PM

Because not talking about it doesn't make it go away. Sorry.

Posted by Lissa on February 21, 2013 at 11:49 PM

#13, weren't you promoting the Westlake Center meth twitch against rape last week? How'd that work out?

Posted by Unbrainwashed on February 22, 2013 at 12:03 AM

@12 - Does your use of "infatuation" reflect a poor command of language or are you a creep trying to imply that concerns about violence against women are not warranted?

infatuation:
a foolish and usually extravagant passion or love or admiration.

Posted by anon1256 on February 22, 2013 at 8:42 AM

#15, I think Ciena is infatuated with every rape story on the planet.

Posted by Unbrainwashed on February 22, 2013 at 9:06 AM

@16: Again, not talking about it does not make it go away. I'm sorry rape makes you so uncomfortable. DJ Booberry rocks, thanks for asking, although other than serving as a reinforcement of group cohesion I'm not sure it did a whole lot of good.
No I take that back. It irritated people who would rather not think about the problem, so that's one for the win column right there.

Posted by Lissa on February 22, 2013 at 9:52 AM

@16: Yeah, damn those "progressives," right Mister G?

Posted by Theodore Gorath on February 22, 2013 at 10:00 AM

@18: I don't think he's Mr. G. I think it's that Gene guy. He showed up the day Mr. G got banned. Although, to be fair neither of them exhibit the addiction to quotation marks to which Mr G was such a martyr.

Posted by Lissa on February 22, 2013 at 11:23 AM

#17, rape doesn't make me uncomfortable in the slightest.

Posted by Unbrainwashed on February 22, 2013 at 10:25 PM

@20: And I'm sure we're none of us a bit surprised.

Posted by Lissa on February 22, 2013 at 10:34 PM

So Lissa's upset if you're "so uncomfortable" with rape (#17), and Lissa's upset if rape doesn't make you uncomfortable (#21). Sounds like Lissa's got herself a big problem.

Posted by Unbrainwashed on February 23, 2013 at 9:55 AM

You are correct! I should have been more specific. The discussion of rape appears to make you uncomfortable, which is not surprising, since as you say, rape itself does not make you uncomfortable.
Also not surprising.

But well parsed grasshopper, well parsed! Have yourself a nice gloat over your cleverness. Good job!

Posted by Lissa on February 23, 2013 at 12:29 PM

@unbrainwashed:all said like an ignorant fool who never has to ever think about or fear being raped. Maybe we should stop talking about the rape of little boys by the Catholic churches too. Fuck you for thinking this shouldn't be talked about and all your bullshit comments are exactly the problem. Fuck you

Posted by tito on February 23, 2013 at 5:43 PM