Are black young womxn supposed to keep silent when their human rights are violated? Is the exploitation and manipulation of young black womxn in South Africa continuing? Where is the safe space in our communities and workplaces? Does the human rights apply to young black womxn?
Gugu Ncube, a young black woman, staged a one-woman march today morning in the union buildings, naked. Gugu posted the march on Facebook on the #totalshutdown page with the hope to raise awareness of what she was going through. On the Facebook post, she claim that the reason for her one-woman march is that she was violated and sexually harassed in the hands of UNISA. In the post, she wrote, “nudity is a sign of my dignity that I have been ripped off of. I have nothing more to protect.my dignity is gone”.
Gugu claims that her immediate boss asked her for sexual favours in exchange for her job. When she reported the case, she was manhandled out of her job in UNISA. She claims to have seen first-hand commissioner take bribe to demerit her and corrupt police arrest her as her abuser payed them.
A small crowed was gathered to help support the march at the union buildings today morning as they witnessed police arriving and taking Gugu out of the union buildings. Gugu was arrested by the police at 10:00 am and was taken to the Sunnyside Police Station.
The supporters of the March including Carol Hands of Hope Organisation Chairperson Thenjiwe Nkomo proceeded to the Sunnyside Police station to continue the support for Gugu. “Gugu has been though a lot in her life and because of her hard experiences in life we became friends and shared everything. She was been raped once and after she was sexually harassed at UNISA, she fell into depression and was sheltered at a mental health centre where she was cure during 2018” says Thenjiwe Nkomo.
An immediate Media release was issued out by UNISA today stating that it is not the first time Gugu attempts to drag its name into the dispute between her and the UCECE (Unisa Centre for Early Childhood Education) which they claim is an external company that they previously sponsored that Gugu worked for.
Gugu continues to be in the Sunnyside Police Station under custody of the police and there has been no word about her since she was arrested in the morning. The supporters stand with Gugu and believe that justice should be served. The society, community, womxn in work spaces call for fair justice practices from workspace to the department of policing. womxn are being victims in their workplaces and in the community they live in and nobody does anything about.