This is how the court can protect against abuse

Date: 27 November 2015 By: Andries van Zyl

During the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, which started on 25 November and will continue until 10 December, the spotlight once again falls on domestic violence in our society.

Although the campaign mostly focuses on women and children, it must be noted that men can also be victims of domestic violence, and that they have the same right to protection as women and children.

Ms Friede Meissenheimer, social worker at the local branch of the South African Women’s Federation (SAVF), urged all residents last week to report any form of abuse. She explained the different types of abuse and said that victims must not suffer in silence. “Seek help, talk to someone you can trust and remember that it is not your fault,” said Meissenheimer.

In extreme cases of abuse, Meissenheimer advised victims to obtain a protection order against the abuser. “You need to approach your local magistrate's court to obtain a protection order,” Meissenheimer said.

The first step is to fill in a Form 2 (Section 4(1) of the Domestic Violence Act). “An interim protection order will be granted, where the respondent is ordered not to commit certain acts. He or she will also be given a date where they must appear in court to establish whether the final order should be granted or not,” Meissenheimer explained.

A notice will then be given to the respondent to show cause as to why a protection order should not be granted. On the given date, both parties must appear before the court and, based on the evidence before him/her, the magistrate will then decide to confirm, amend or set aside the interim protection order. “If the respondent breaches the conditions of the interim or final court order, a warrant for their arrest will be made and he or she will have to appear before court,” Meissenheimer said.

To obtain protection orders, the magistrate's office in Louis Trichardt can be contacted at Tel 015 516 0181, or visit them at 103 Munnik Street at the family section, office number 26. The Clerk of the Court (Domestic Violence) at the Tshilwavhusiku magistrate’s court is Ms Mabege and she can be contacted at Tel 015 571 5277 (ext. 217). The court is right next to the police station. For residents of Waterval, the magistrate’s court can be contacted at 015 556 4091.

This information was supplied by the Louis Trichardt offices of the SAVF and Christian Social Services (CMR). To report abuse or for more information, they can be contacted at 015 516 3841 (SAVF) and 015 516 5115 (CMR). 

Viewed: 991

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

More photos...