Mapaballo Borotho
- International Human Rights lawyer Wendy Isaacs says South Africa’s high levels of violence against women stem from the country’s failure to confront gender-based crimes committed during apartheid.
- Despite some recent accountability victories, many apartheid-era atrocities, particularly those against black women, remain uninvestigated.
- Isaacs warns that ongoing denial and false narratives about apartheid continue to fuel injustice today.
Violence against women in South Africa remains alarmingly high because the country never fully dealt with the crimes committed during apartheid especially those targeting black women.
This is according to International Human Rights lawyer, Wendy Isaacs, who says International Human Rights Day holds deep significance for Africa, given its history of injustice and resilience.
Adopted on December 10, 1948, the day reaffirms the universal and timeless values of human rights. Yet, Isaacs points out the painful irony that this global pledge was made in the same year the National Party came into power and ushered in apartheid, one of the most brutal systems of oppression in modern history.
“The idea was that white South Africans were considered superior and therefore entitled to rule the rest of the population,” Isaacs explains.
She says many organisations continue to work with families of victims who were killed during apartheid, fighting for long-overdue justice.
The lack of accountability remains a major barrier, despite some recent wins, including the conviction of two former apartheid police officers for the premeditated murder of student activist Caiphus Nyoka.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has since launched the Khampepe Commission to determine why so many apartheid-era crimes were never investigated.
But Isaacs argues that while some laws aim to provide justice for apartheid victims, the violent crimes committed against black women were largely ignored.
“There are people who argue that we have the highest levels of violence against women because we did not deal with it then,” she says.
She adds that harmful narratives, including the false notion of a so-called “white genocide,” persist because many still refuse to take accountability or fully understand the true brutality of apartheid.
“Apartheid was not just a human rights violation; it was a crime, and the perpetrators were meant to be held accountable,” Isaacs emphasises.
Listen to the podcast for the full conversation:
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