A row is brewing among supporters of the woman at the centre of
the Jacob Zuma rape trial on Monday.
The group said it was not fair they had to protest at the end of the street while supporters of the former deputy president stand opposite the Johannesburg High Court building.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the ”One in Nine” campaign, Carrie Shelver of People Opposing Women Abuse said that their protest was restricted to a cordon on the corner of Von Brandis and Pritchard streets in central Johannesburg.
The group, along with rights group Women Opposing Woman Abuse, plan to launch the ”One in Nine” campaign later in the day.
The name is taken from a Medical Research Council study that found that only one in nine cases of rape are reported in South Africa.
”We had to negotiate to be allowed to go closer [to the court entrance],” said Shelver.
By contrast, Zuma supporters had a direct view of the court’s entrance. She said they were told this was for their own protection because they had complained of intimidation from Zuma supporters when Zuma first appeared in court on February 13.
Dawn Cavanagh, one of the spokespersons for the ”One in Nine” campaign said: ”This is completely unacceptable. We have been made completely invisible. Our message has been pushed so far away from the court, it’s not going to be heard.”
About 20 protesters of the ”One in Nine” were campaign were carrying posters reading: ”Not just faces and vaginas”, ”Rape of one woman is a rape of us all”, ”Sex crimes = do time”.
Zuma’s defence team arrived at the court shortly after 9pm on Monday. – Sapa