Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has condemned the physical abuse of an Amathole District Municipality councillor at its East London offices.
Social media platforms were in uproar this week after a video circulated of Councillor Nanziwe Rulashe being forcefully removed from the municipality’s office.
In a statement, Dlamini Zuma said: “The images coming out of the video we have seen of the incident are a cause for serious concern. That this incident took place in the offices of government puts serious doubt in society about our commitment to end the scourge of gender-based violence.”
The Minister has since held a series of engagements with the leadership of the District Municipality and the Eastern Cape provincial leadership who have also condemned the incident. She said the incident was inconsistent with the ideals of government’s non-sexist, democratic society and a violation of the institution’s own operating procedures.
The Minister also called for law enforcement agencies, the municipality, and the province to investigate this incident so that those involved in this act of assault can be brought to book and that similar incidents are not repeated.