Cape Town — The Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (UMF) continues to celebrate the memory of Uyinene, the young girl who was tragically sexually assaulted and killed five years ago.
Uyinene was tragically raped and murdered at the Clarenreich Post Office in Claremont, Cape Town. She was killed by a man named Luyanda Botha. The UMF has done incredible work to not only preserve her memory but also continue the fight against sexual and gender-based violence femicide (SGBVF) in South Africa.
During women’s month, the UMF celebrated its annual anti-SGBVF walk, attended by community leaders, students, and parents who showed up in their numbers to celebrate the theme of “Eliminate the fear” prioritising safety and security”
The UMF has been well-supported over the years by several foundations including Langa For Men and the Makazole Mapimpi Foundation, run by Springbok wing, Makazole Mapimpi.
Uyinene’s mother, Nomangwane Mrwetyana, said it was an honour to have the Makazole Mapimpi Foundation on board and thanked him for being an ambassador.
The call to end Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) echoed loudly through the streets of Cape Town as the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (UMF) marked its fifth anniversary with an anti-GBVF Walk, in collaboration with @UCT_news, Langa For Men and the @MMFoundation11
— Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (@UyineneMrwetya1) August 28, 2024
“The people who are here have been in our corner since day one. Thank you for being faithful to us. The students of UCT have stood with us. I want to salute you all. Let me encourage you, that as we go back to our homes, this is a collective responsibility; where a human being exists, there should be no fear. Ensure the safety and security of every human being around you. Sithi phambili ngalomlo we (We say forward with the fight against) gender-based violence and we hope that at some point we will live in a South Africa that is free of GBV,” said Nomangwane.
It was not the first time that Mapimpi had honoured Uyinene’s life. Ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Mapimpi scored three times against Japan in a warm-up game and he played the game with the words “RIP Nene” written on his wrist strap.
“I know pain and poverty, and seeing people being abused because I grew up in a family that experienced that. I remember a day when my sister was slapped … When I wrote her [Uyinene] name on my wrist strapping, I wasn’t sure if I was going to score a try, but [I knew] one thing that had to happen is I have to show it. It came from my heart because I know the feeling,” he said in an interview with Supersport.
🗣️ “I was doing it because of the hurt I was feeling.”
When Makazole Mapimpi dedicated his tries against Japan to the late Uyinene Mrwetyana 💚
🍿 #ChasingTheSun2 premieres Sunday March 24 at 8PM on @MNet. pic.twitter.com/3Z47Xf1wWA
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 12, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
