The ANCYL statement on Oscar Pistorius sentencing

6 July 2016

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has noted and is disappointed by  the six year sentence for murder granted to Oscar Pistorius. The ANCWL has studied the judgment and has developed a position that we planned to make public following sentencing. The judgement has not made any reference to gender based violence for sentencing. Our position will be considered in conjunction with the sentence, as we study the case law in question.

The ANCWL is dissatisfied with the judgement as it excluded issues of gender based violence due to the fact that South Africa has high rates of gender based violence cases and statistics indicate that a woman is killed in every eight hours in our country. The judgement sets a precedence that gender-based violence crimes are equivalent to petty crimes in our country. 

We have closely followed the the trial and Judge Masipa gave undue sympathy to the murder accused Pistorius. As the ANCWL we are appalled by the assertions made by the judge that this was not a gender based violence case.  The pathology report had enough evidence to prove that the victim had injuries outside the shooting. The bruises on the upper part of the right thigh that were not linked to the shooting and behind the left knee and the left shin. 

Whilst respecting the independence of the judiciary, the ANCWL believes that this sentence is just a slap on the wrist on a murderer case and spit on the faces of the family and relatives of the victim. The sentence creates loss of trust  in the judiciary system for many women who are abused and murdered daily in our country. 

It is ANCWL's view that if there is an appetite from judiciary system to deter people from committing this gruel acts of abusing and murdering women, the judiciary system must ensure that abusers and murderers receive the harshest maximum sentences and be locked in correctional facilities to fully serve their sentences and be released when they have been fully rehabilitated. 

For the sake of numerous women who are abused and murdered daily by the likes of Oscar Pistorious and receiving a slap on the wrist from the judiciary system, the ANCWL will continue fighting for the transformation of the judiciary system. 

Issued by Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 6 July 2016