Hundreds of South African women demonstrated at a commuter taxi rank on Tuesday, calling for an end to harassment for wearing miniskirts.
The protesters, wearing miniskirts themselves, marched to the central Johannesburg taxi rank in Noord Street where a Nwabisa Ngcukana (25) was attacked for wearing a miniskirt and sexually assaulted last month by taxi drivers who said she was indecently dressed.
Drivers and hawkers allegedly tore off her clothing because she was being ”taught a lesson about wearing a miniskirt”.
They allegedly sexually assaulted her while others poured alcohol over her head and called her names.
The march is the second this month after the incident, which has highlighted the issue of women’s rights in a country where sexual violence against women is rife.
Radio personality Redi Direko, dressed in a miniskirt, orange strap-top, and high-heel sandals, led the group of women.
”Drivers need to be taught how to behave, this doesn’t end here, there is no dress code for women who frequent the taxi rank, and we say to the drivers ‘mind your job’,” Direko said.
She was speaking to taxi association bosses once the mass of people reached the taxi rank.
The protesters wore T-shirts saying ”Pissed off women” and chanted songs. Some held placards reading ”We love our minis”, ”We aren’t road signs, you need to respect us”, and ”There are no shortcuts to women’s rights”.
Taxi drivers, however, screamed and whistled at the protesters.
The latest official statistics available show that nearly 23 000 women were raped in the six months to the end of September 2007.