Surely_podcast

The Dark Reality of Femicide and Child Abuse
When Vigilance Is No Longer Enough

The roots of violence run deep.

They are nurtured in a society where women and children can become targets, where violence is sometimes normalised, and where too many families have learnt to live with fear.

Every woman who leaves her home should be able to expect to return.

Every child should be able to grow up without learning that danger is something they must constantly watch for.

Yet South Africa continues to struggle with gender-based violence and femicide on a scale that has forced the government itself to recognise GBVF as a national crisis.

The question is no longer whether we have a problem.

The question is:

What are we actually doing about it?

And then came Ekurhuleni.

Over a period of roughly two months, the bodies of nine women were discovered across different parts of the municipality and surrounding areas. The latest discovery came on 17 September 2026, when another woman's body was found in Dawn Park, bringing the number of women whose deaths are being investigated to nine.

Among those whose identities became publicly known was Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a 38-year-old mother and runner who disappeared after going out for an afternoon run. Her body was later identified by her family.

Her story shook people because it could have been any woman.

A woman going for a run.

A mother.

A daughter.

A sister.

A friend.

A woman who left home expecting to return.

And she did not.

Then came another body.

And another.

And another.

Communities began asking the question that everyone was thinking:
How many women must die before this becomes an emergency that cannot wait?

Police have assembled a multidisciplinary team to investigate the deaths. Authorities have also cautioned against prematurely concluding that all the cases are connected or that a serial killer is responsible. The investigations are continuing.

But whether these cases ultimately prove to be connected or not, something else is already connected.

The fear.

Women are changing their routines.

Women are sharing their locations.

Women are avoiding isolated places.

Women are walking in groups.

Women are asking someone to accompany them.

Women are checking in with family members.

Women are doing everything society has taught them to do to stay alive.

And yet women are still dying.

At some point, we have to ask:

When does “be vigilant” stop being enough?

I understand the importance of personal safety.

I understand that we must be careful.

But vigilance cannot become a substitute for functioning systems of protection.

A woman should not have to live her entire life calculating which road she can walk on, what time she must be home, whether she can run alone, whether she can take a taxi, whether she can trust the person standing next to her, or whether the place she is entering has enough security.

We cannot build a society where women are expected to become their own police officers.

There must also be accountability.

There must be effective policing.

There must be investigations that move with urgency.

There must be consequences for perpetrators.

There must be systems that respond when women go missing.

And there must be a society that refuses to accept violence against women as simply another statistic.

The question of priorities

In June 2026, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced that **R600 million had been redirected within the SAPS budget to strengthen operational readiness ahead of planned nationwide demonstrations on 30 June**. The money was intended to support enhanced security preparations around those demonstrations.

I am not suggesting that the money should simply have been taken from one purpose and handed to another.

Public safety during demonstrations matters.

The protection of people, businesses and infrastructure matters.

But when I look at what is happening to women, I cannot help asking a difficult question:

What does safety mean if women are still afraid to walk through their own communities?

How much urgency do we attach to protecting women before they become another number?

How quickly can resources be mobilised when the danger is visible?

And why does it sometimes feel as though women must first die before the full machinery of the state moves?

These are not questions of party politics.

They are questions of priorities.

The warning we keep giving women

We tell women:

Be careful.

Don't walk alone.

Don't go out at night.

Share your location.

Carry your phone.

Change your route.

Don't trust strangers.

Don't wear this.

Don't go there.

Don't drink too much.

Don't accept a lift.

Tell someone where you are.

Be vigilant.

But where is the equivalent conversation with men?

Where is the urgency in teaching boys that women are not possessions?

Where is the sustained work to challenge violence, entitlement and misogyny before they become crimes?

Where is the message that masculinity does not mean control?

South Africa has already recognised GBVF as a national disaster and has established the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide to provide strategic leadership and coordinate the national response. Government has also launched initiatives aimed at improving evidence-based responses to femicide.

So the structures exist.

The declarations have been made.

The strategies have been written.

The question is whether those structures and strategies are reaching the woman who is simply trying to make it home alive.

And then there are the children

The tragedy does not end when a woman dies.

There are children left behind.

Children who ask:

Where is Mama?

Why isn't she coming home?

Why are people crying?

Why is everyone talking about her?

Why won't she answer the phone?

A woman may become a statistic in a report, but to a child she is still **Mama**.

That is why femicide and child abuse cannot be treated as separate conversations.

Children who grow up around violence carry what they see.

They learn fear.

They learn silence.

They learn what relationships look like.

They learn what society permits.

And some eventually repeat what they have witnessed.

If we want to change the future, we have to intervene long before the violence becomes a headline.

We must stop asking women to simply survive

I want a South Africa where women don't have to organise their lives around the possibility of being murdered.

I want a country where a woman can go running.

Walk home.

Take public transport.

Go to work.

Visit a friend.

Leave an abusive relationship.

Report a crime.

Ask for help.

And trust that the systems around her will respond.

I want a country where our children learn that women deserve dignity, not control.

Where boys are taught that strength is not violence.

Where reporting abuse does not become another battle.

Where missing women are treated with urgency.

Where investigations are properly resourced.

Where perpetrators know that there will be consequences.

And where government does not simply tell women to be vigilant.

Because women have been vigilant.

They have been vigilant for generations.

They have watched their surroundings.

They have changed their routes.

They have shared their locations.

They have walked in groups.

They have warned one another.

They have taught their daughters.

They have taught their sons.

And still, women are dying.

So perhaps the question we should now be asking is not:

“How can women be more vigilant?”

Perhaps it is:

“How can we build a country where women don't have to be?”

That is the question I leave with government.

That is the question I leave with men.

That is the question I leave with communities.

And most importantly,

that is the question we must answer for our children.

Extract from the 2nd Edition of Dear Gov, Letters from a Nation Raising its Children by Nomfundo Nyakane

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Surely_podcast

Funny How There’s Never Money to Catch Corruption… But Millions Always Get Spent First


The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has now said it doesn’t have enough funds to extend the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police corruption.

Out of the original R147 million budget, about R123 million has already been spent. Now they are going back to Treasury to request additional funding just to keep the commission running for another six months.

And honestly… this is where it becomes hard to ignore the irony.

We are talking about a commission investigating alleged corruption — money that was stolen from the system — yet there is “not enough money” to fully complete the investigation into where that money went.

It also raises questions about how under-resourced key institutions like IPID are, and how often we hear that there is no budget to properly investigate or hold people accountable.

But somehow, when it comes to certain other priorities, funding is never the issue.

In my personal view, it feels like things are getting a little too close for comfort — and that’s exactly when budget concerns suddenly start appearing.

Just something to think about.

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Surely_podcast

Hi everyone, welcome to our new YouTube Community. Now you can post on our channel, too. To get started, tell me in a post what you'd like to see next on our channel.
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6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 7

Surely_podcast

🎶✨ Something Soulful is coming your way!


Join us on 02 May 2026 for a beautiful day of RnB & Soul, good vibes, and unforgettable performances. 💃🏾🕺🏾


Featuring incredible talent including Lady GP, Phoenix Blu, The Rose, DJ Lihle, DeepSoul T, Tenacity Jozi FM, Connie Lebogo, Tshepo Jr Jozi FM, and a live performance by Dudu Majola 🎤🔥


📍 167 Dynamo Street, Power Park (Village Isibaya)
⏰ Gates open at 11:00 AM

🎟️ Tickets:
Early Bird – R80
Pre-Sold – R120
At Gate – R150


Come dressed in **Blue & White** and stand a chance to win best dressed 🏆💙🤍

Bring your camping chairs & gazebo — let’s make it a vibe!


📲 For tickets: 064 974 4361 (Call/WhatsApp)

Let’s create memories together… Surely, this can’t be it 💛

#Somethingsoul #Events #Surelypodcast #blackorangemedia

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Surely_podcast

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On 16 April 2026, Julius Malema was sentenced to an effective five years in prison following a case dating back to 2018. But in true South African fashion, the story doesn’t end there—he has been granted leave to appeal, meaning the final outcome is still unfolding.

Reactions have been divided. Some see this as a stand for accountability, while others question the timing and fairness of the sentence.

But beyond the politics, the real question remains: what does accountability truly look like in South Africa—and is it applied equally to everyone?

Because in the end, it’s not just about one case. It’s about the standard we set, and whether it holds for all.

#SurelyPodcast
#SouthAfrica
#MzansiVoices
#JuliusMalema
#EFF
#SouthAfricanPolitics

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According to an investigation by Daily Maverick, questions have been raised around luxury vehicles reportedly donated for political purposes and how they were ultimately used.

The concern is not just about the vehicles themselves, but about transparency, accountability, and whether ethical standards were upheld. In communities where even one new car stands out, these kinds of reports raise deeper questions about leadership and responsibility.

This is not just about cars—it is about trust, governance, and the systems meant to serve the people.

If this is what is being uncovered, what else remains hidden?

🎧 Join the conversation as we unpack the realities behind power, influence, and accountability in our society.

#SurelyPodcast #Accountability #SouthAfrica #LeadershipMatters #RealTalkSA #MzansiVoices

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What if the voices we ignore are the ones we need to hear the most?

Dear Gov: Letters from a Nation Raising Its Children is more than a book—it is a collection of real reflections, lived experiences, and voices from communities navigating inequality, broken systems, and the realities of everyday life.

Through a series of letters, Dear Gov gives space to stories that are often unheard—about education, healthcare, families, and the future of the next generation.

This channel is where those letters come to life.

Through the voices of the youth and the community, we will read, reflect, and start conversations that matter.

This is not just content.
This is a movement.

📖 Follow the journey.
🗣️ Be part of the conversation.

#ReadDearGov # Surely_Podcast #YouthVoices #CommunityVoices

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