“We will not remain silent and we will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.” These were the words of the two activists and members of One Billion Rising, Lucinda Evans and Tanya Bibbert, at the Grabouw Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Evans and Bibbert, along with journalist and author Julian Jansen and another Grabouw resident, were due to appear in the magistrate’s court on Friday after the mother of the teenage boy charged with the murder of Deveney Nel applied for a protection order against them. The case was postponed again until 6 November due to the magistrate’s illness.
Evans stated that it is time that we start keeping parents responsible and accountable when they did not take the necessary measures, when they knew that their child has a challenge with violent behaviour and as a result their child has caused the death of another child or is the cause that our children are committing suicide.
“The Child Justice Act needs to change; we have children with violent behaviour perpetrating rape, firing off guns and killing other children, and enjoy the protection of the Act as minors even if they turned 18. We are in court so that I, and Tanya, can defend the constitutional rights to freedom of speech. Our movement, One Billion Rising South Africa, is not only defending ourselves but also looking a parent in the eye who’s behaviour shows no remorse for the role they have or have not played which lead to Deveney Nel being murdered in her school on 7 August 2024.”
According to her this parent threatened her constitutional right and freedom to picket in front of the court to seek justice for Deveney.
“This parent threatens our constitutional rights of freedom of speech as activists by trying to prohibit us to support the family of victims of femicide and GBV. The Child Justice Act needs to change because we need to keep parents accountable and also responsible when their child kills other children.”
She further stated that they want children that commit murder as a child to equally receive a life sentence, without parole, especially if they have committed a serious crime more than once.
