MBEKWENI – Government on Thursday said it would do all it could to ensure the rights of women and children are protected.

Minister Jeff Radebe and President Jacob Zuma were speaking at a Human Rights Day event in Mbekweni, outside Paarl in the Western Cape.

Zuma expressed his deep concern about the high levels of violence against many women and children, but he reiterated he has confidence the police and the Justice Ministry are capable of arresting perpetrators and punishing them within the confinements of the law.

Radebe echoed Zuma’s sentiments and told Eyewitness News his department would ensure criminals faced the full wrath of the justice system.

“All these sexual assaults must be condemned in no uncertain terms.”

South African news bulletins and newspaper headlines have in recent months been hogged by stories of brutal rapes and murders, including that of Bredasdorp teen Anene Booysen.

Booysen was raped by several men and left for dead in the Western Cape town last month.

Meanwhile, the president said he was satisfied there had been a more than 70 percent conviction rate for reported crimes committed against women and children over the past financial year.

Human Rights Day commemorates the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, when 69 people protesting against apartheid pass-laws were gunned down by police.

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