Femicide is surging across the continent. Without cultural reform led by men themselves, more lives will be lost.
On May 25, Olorato Mongale, a 30-year-old woman from South Africa, went on a date with a man she had recently met.
Less than two hours later, she was dead.
Her half-naked body was found by the roadside in Lombardy West, a suburb north of Johannesburg. It showed signs of severe trauma and bruising. Investigators concluded that she had been murdered elsewhere and dumped at the scene.
Her brutal and senseless killing led to a wave of grief and outrage on social media. Days later, a family spokesperson revealed that Mongale – a master’s student at the University of the Witwatersrand – had once worked as a journalist. She left the profession seven years ago due to the emotional toll of reporting on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
