‘No child should endure such an experience’: Education MEC calls for action after Elizabeth Moselakgomo’s death

Gauteng's Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, has demanded collective measures against gender-based violence and femicide after the confirmed death of 38-year-old Elizabeth "Tsontso" Moselakgomo. Moselakgomo went missing after a routine run in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, and her body was positively identified at the Germiston mortuary following a broad search involving relatives, neighbors, and law enforcement.

Her death follows the discovery of several women's bodies in and around Kempton Park. Maile expressed his condolences to Moselakgomo's eight-year-old daughter, emphasizing that women should be able to exercise and move around without fear. "This is devastating. Elizabeth went out to exercise, something millions of people should be able to do without fear, and she did not return home.

A woman should be able to walk, run, work, study, travel, and simply exist in her own community without having to calculate the possibility that she may be attacked or killed," Maile said. The Education MEC stressed that the circumstances were particularly painful for the eight-year-old who first noticed her mother's absence and alerted family members.

"No child should have to endure such an experience," Maile said. The South African Police Service has launched a multidisciplinary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths to establish whether they are connected. Police have cautioned against drawing conclusions or linking cases to a single perpetrator. Maile called for those responsible for the killings to be identified and prosecuted, urging against speculation that could hinder the investigation.

He emphasized that tackling gender-based violence and femicide requires a collective societal effort, urging families, schools, communities, religious institutions, civil society, workplaces, and men to address violence against women. Maile also highlighted the role of schools in educating boys about non-violent masculinity and teaching all children about dignity, equality, consent, respect, and the sanctity of life.

He urged men to challenge misogyny, threats, harassment, abuse, and violent behavior among their peers. Maile emphasized that women's commemoration should not be followed by a return to business as usual, stating that their collective responsibility is to build a society where they can live freely.