Barely 48 hours after celebrating International Women’s Day, about 500 Musina women took a break from their house chores on Friday, to beat the streets during a two-kilometre march to the local Magistrate’s Court to demonstrate over the rape of a 10-year-old schoolgirl.

The women’s anger was sparked by a 40-year-old man who had allegedly raped the girl from next door in Freedom Park in Musina. The accused appeared in court on Friday and his case was postponed to Monday, 27 March, 2006. He first appeared in court on 14 February, 2006, and since then he has been in jail.

The demonstrators were led by a member of the South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) in Limpopo, Mrs Rina Ramushwana. Members of organisations such as the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) and People Opposed to Women Abuse (POWA) also backed the march. Several men and children also joined the demonstration.

The women carrying placards gathered at the Nancefield Community Hall before marching along the N1 road under a heavy police escort. Singing slogans denouncing men who rape as “beasts who must rot in jail”, the women stomped their feet in a “toyi-toyi” style with their hands up in the air, displaying placards with messages such as “no bail for rapists” and “love them, don’t rape them”.

Listed in the marchers’ memorandum of grievances was a demand for the rape accused not to be given bail.

Stressing the significance of the march, Ramuswana said that raping one woman was raping all of them. “We see rapists moving freely. They are supposed to be behind bars because that is where they belong,” she added.

Addressing the demonstrators after receiving the memorandum, the Musina Chief Magistrate, Errol Luiters, said that he understood the pain that the marchers were going through. “Personally, as a father with a daughter, I know how it must be for you. All justice officials feel for you. I want to assure you that, from our side, we will do everything possible to do what you ask of us,” said Luiters.