Pretoria: Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike has condemned threats of violence allegedly directed at a group of women at a Sandton establishment after they rejected the unwanted advances of a man publicly, who has been identified as Lawrence Chamurwa Mudzinganyama.
According to South African Government News Agency, Letsike stated that the threats, which were captured on video, cannot be dismissed as an unfortunate exchange or a momentary loss of temper. She highlighted the broader dangers of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), particularly attitudes that seek to punish women for exercising their autonomy.
"Rejection, anger, intoxication, wealth or social standing, perceived or real, can never excuse the harassment, humiliation or threatening of any woman in the Republic, as our Constitution guarantees all women an inalienable right to agency," Letsike said. She has called on the Department of Home Affairs to urgently review Mudzinganyama's presence and immigration status in South Africa.
Letsike emphasized that if Mudzinganyama meets the statutory grounds for classification as a prohibited or undesirable person under sections 29 or 30 of the Immigration Act, the department must act decisively and impose the full consequences permitted by law. Her office plans to petition the Minister of Home Affairs on the matter.
The Deputy Minister also reiterated the condemnation of the incident by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide and Substance Abuse, stating that a proper judicial process must now determine criminal liability. She welcomed the fact that Mudzinganyama has been processed by the South African Police Service and is expected to appear in court on 1 October 2026.
"The swift action taken by stakeholders across the public and private sectors demonstrates that the fight against gender-based violence requires consequences wherever abusive conduct occurs and cannot be left to the criminal justice system alone," she added.
Letsike also praised the measures taken by entities in the private sector following the incident, including Moriel Infrastructure Group's removal of Mudzinganyama as Executive Chairman and director, and Steyn City Properties' termination of his lease. She welcomed investigations ordered by Transport Ministers Barbara Creecy and Home Affairs Minister Dean Macpherson into the company's South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) contracts and Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) gradings.
She stressed that these measures do not replace the criminal investigation and that no one should prejudge the outcome of the judicial process. Letsike stated that the response demonstrates that conduct involving threats against women carries social, institutional, and economic consequences and cannot be dismissed through an apology or an appeal to wealth and influence.
Letsike reiterated that perpetrators of GBVF must have no place to hide within the borders of the Republic of South Africa. "These interventions demonstrate what a whole-of-society response should look like. Accountability must follow a perpetrator into every space from which power, status or impunity is derived."
"There must be criminal accountability where an offense has been committed, professional and corporate accountability where codes of conduct have been violated, and public-sector accountability wherever state contracts or public resources are involved," the Deputy Minister said.
As the country confronts intolerable levels of violence against women, Letsike warned that society cannot normalize the language of murder or treat threats against women as entertainment. She called on society to reject violence and intimidation against women wherever it occurs and to stand with women who speak out.
"Women must be able to say no and continue with their lives without fear of retaliation."