Steenhuisen referred to his ex-wife as “roadkill” on MacG’s podcast. When MacG posed the question, “what is roadkill?” and he answered, “sounds a lot like my ex-wife.”
Furthermore, in response to the #CeleMustGo billboard, Bheki Cele said if the DA was serious about gender-based violence, they could have dealt with Steenhuisen because he abused a woman who worked in his office.
Sonke is shocked at the improper statements made by these two politicians weaponizing women in their personal wars, driven by their toxic masculinities.
In the light of Women’s month, we should be celebrating women and fighting for women’s rights and rallying behind the empowerment of women.
It is disappointing that with South Africa being one of the countries with the highest incidence of rape in the world and with the many gender-based violence cases that have occurred over the past years, men are still making problematic statements marked as “jokes” and as public figures, Steenhuisen and Cele should know better.
John Steenhuisen and Bheki Cele should be held accountable for these toxic statements.
Media enquiries
Bafana Khumalo
Co-Executive Director, and Co-Chairperson, Global MenEngage Alliance
bafana@genderjustice.org.za
082 -578-4479.
Notes to editors
Sonke is a South African-based non-profit organisation working throughout Africa. We believe women and men, girls and boys can work together to resist patriarchy, advocate for gender justice, and achieve gender transformation.
