As a young black woman, I remember the first time I was told not to take an Uber alone at night. Not to wear that dress. Not to talk to strangers. Not to be ‘too friendly’. It wasn’t because I had done anything wrong; it was simply because I am a woman, and that is enough reason to put my life in danger.
When I read about 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, who was lured out for a date in Johannesburg and found beaten to death on the side of the road, my heart shattered, but also burned with anger, because of what came next, the whispered judgements and comments.
The truth is, every time we ask what she could have done differently, we let go of the killer and shift the blame, we make the victim carry the burden of shame. Victim blaming does not bring any solution, but somewhat justifies the actions of the perpetrator. Instead of asking, “Why did she trust a stranger?” We should be asking, “Why was her killer free to take her life?”
Olerato’s alleged killer, Philangenkosi Makhanya, didn’t act alone. His accomplice, Bongani Mthimkhulu, who is still on the run, was reportedly with him when Olorato was killed. After her murder, dozens of women came forward, sharing their own terrifying stories of being kidnapped and robbed by the same men. Makhanya was killed in a shoot-out with police, but Mthimkhulu is still out there, a danger to every other woman walking these streets.
Olorato’s case is sadly not rare. According to South Africa’s fourth national femicide study, in the 2020/21 time period, as in the previous decade, three women were killed every single day by someone they were in a relationship with. And the justice system that’s supposed to protect women? It’s not exactly doing a good job. In this time, police didn’t manage to identify a suspect in 44% of the cases.
There’s not just a failure in the justice system, but a failure in culture as well. Women are raised to protect themselves from men, but are men raised not to cause harm? As a people, we need to stop treating femicide as a tragedy and start treating it as a crisis. Until we stop shifting the blame and start holding the right people to account, the perpetrators, the failing justice system, and the societal norms that endorse this violence, we will continue to lose the beautiful women of this country.
Lona is a recent graduate with an Honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Wits University. Passionate about storytelling, she is eager to learn, grow, and hone her writing skills.
OPINION: Victim blaming Olorato helps perpetrators walk freely; we must do better.
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As a young black woman, I remember the first time I was told not to take an Uber alone at night. Not to wear that dress. Not to talk to strangers. Not to be ‘too friendly’. It wasn’t because I had done anything wrong; it was simply because I am a woman, and that is enough reason to put my life in danger.
When I read about 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, who was lured out for a date in Johannesburg and found beaten to death on the side of the road, my heart shattered, but also burned with anger, because of what came next, the whispered judgements and comments.
The truth is, every time we ask what she could have done differently, we let go of the killer and shift the blame, we make the victim carry the burden of shame. Victim blaming does not bring any solution, but somewhat justifies the actions of the perpetrator. Instead of asking, “Why did she trust a stranger?” We should be asking, “Why was her killer free to take her life?”
Olerato’s alleged killer, Philangenkosi Makhanya, didn’t act alone. His accomplice, Bongani Mthimkhulu, who is still on the run, was reportedly with him when Olorato was killed. After her murder, dozens of women came forward, sharing their own terrifying stories of being kidnapped and robbed by the same men. Makhanya was killed in a shoot-out with police, but Mthimkhulu is still out there, a danger to every other woman walking these streets.
Olorato’s case is sadly not rare. According to South Africa’s fourth national femicide study, in the 2020/21 time period, as in the previous decade, three women were killed every single day by someone they were in a relationship with. And the justice system that’s supposed to protect women? It’s not exactly doing a good job. In this time, police didn’t manage to identify a suspect in 44% of the cases.
There’s not just a failure in the justice system, but a failure in culture as well. Women are raised to protect themselves from men, but are men raised not to cause harm? As a people, we need to stop treating femicide as a tragedy and start treating it as a crisis. Until we stop shifting the blame and start holding the right people to account, the perpetrators, the failing justice system, and the societal norms that endorse this violence, we will continue to lose the beautiful women of this country.
Lona Sokanyile
Lona is a recent graduate with an Honours degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Wits University. Passionate about storytelling, she is eager to learn, grow, and hone her writing skills.
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