News Category: In Electronic Media

The following article first appeared in The Economist, 9th March 2017

Brown Lekekela dreads the end of the month. Payday means binge drinking. Violence follows. Women turn up battered and distraught at his gate, usually with small children in tow. They have nowhere else to go: Mr Lekekela’s emergency shelter, Green Door, is the only one in all of Diepsloot, a hardscrabble township north of Johannesburg that is home to an estimated half a million souls. The shelter, built in the yard of his humble house, can fit two women and their children, plus maybe one more family on the couch in his office. He runs it on donations and sheer willpower.

Mr Lekekela has a first-aid kit and some training to treat minor injuries. For more serious ones, it can take hours for an ambulance to arrive. Sometimes the women (or their children) have been raped. But with no other income or support, they often end up returning to their abusive partners. “It’s hard,” says the soft-spoken Mr Lekekela. “But if I don’t do it, who will?”

Rape and domestic violence are hard to measure, since victims often suffer in silence. And headline-writers overuse the word “epidemic”. But in South Africa it clearly applies. For a study published in November by the University of the Witwatersrand and Sonke Gender Justice, a non-profit group, 2,600 men in Diepsloot were surveyed anonymously. An astonishing 38% admitted to having used force or threats to obtain sex in the preceding year. Add those who said they had beaten, hurt or threatened to use a weapon against a woman, and the share jumps to 54%. Of those men, more than half said they had committed such crimes more than once.

Many men in Diepsloot, as in many other parts of South Africa, do not think they are doing anything wrong. They think they have a right to use force against their partners. In addition, many of the men interviewed had themselves experienced childhood abuse or trauma. Some were mentally ill. Those who abuse others suffer few consequences, whether from the law or neighbours. Diepsloot, a warren of shacks with pockets of small houses, did not exist until the mid-1990s, so everyone comes from somewhere else. “These men think they can do whatever they like,” says Precious Moeketsi, a 28-year-old with two young children who shares a shack with her sister’s family. “I feel worried living here.”

Although South Africa has strict laws against violence, they are spottily enforced. Researchers found that of 500 sexual-assault cases reported to the police in Diepsloot since 2013, only one resulted in a conviction. Small wonder rape is so rarely reported. (Researchers guess that police are informed about only one of every nine sexual assaults in South Africa.) Women worry about what friends and family will think. Some fear reprisals. Policemen are sometimes sceptical and tell women to go home and smooth things over. Even officers who take the issue seriously are hamstrung. Diepsloot’s police station has no specialist unit for rape and sexual-assault cases; the nearest one takes an hour to get to. The closest state hospital that can examine victims is 30km away.

Simply getting to court can be steep barrier. To get a restraining order, for example, a woman in Diepsloot will have to pay 26 rand ($2) for a round trip by minibus-taxi to the nearest magistrates’ court – a lot of money for a woman with no job. Lawyers Against Abuse, a non-profit group, supports women with free legal and psychological services offered from a refurbished shipping container near the police station.

The cycle of abuse “will become the culture of how we live”, frets Mr Lekekela. “But this is not how we are supposed to live.”

The following article first appeared on ChannelAfrica.com, 8 March 2017
By Ayanda Mkhwanazi

As the world marks International Women’s Day, human rights organisation, Sonke Gender Justice, says South Africa can pride itself in its policy developments that have advanced women throughout the country.

But, the organisation warns that greater steps must be taken to address the challenges that remain. Sonke says it is notable that South Africa has made major advances in the field of education whereas before women were lagging behind their male peers in all levels of education. “At tertiary and schooling level, women were not in front, but now, government has ensured that equal opportunities are afforded to both genders,” says Bafana Khumalo, a representative from the organisation.

“But what happens beyond tertiary level? Because we still see a number of CEOs and chairpersons of boards being men that is appalling”. Sonke is a non-governmental organisation that works across Africa to strengthen government, civil society and citizen capacity to promote gender equality, prevent domestic and sexual violence, and reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS.

Khumalo says however, women have not yet reached their full potential due to the immense challenges such as job parity and economic empowerment. “Men and women working the same job don’t get paid the same for instance. As much as we are moving three steps ahead, we tend to also move backwards,” explains Khumalo.

Khumalo says the high rate of violence against women is another factor to take note of that is pulling the country backwards. He says gender violence is an issue that needs to be urgently addressed. “Lesbians in South Africa are raped and killed simply because of their sexual orientation. That will automatically hamper the development of women. We cannot claim to have moved forward if our communities are still exposed to such violence”.

Khumalo adds that South Africa is not the only country that finds itself struggling to ensure that women’s rights are preserved and upheld. In the African region, he says forced practices can hinder women from reaching their potential due to ill health.

According to Khumalo, not all is doom and gloom on the continent. He mentions Rwanda as a shining example, even beating South Africa, when it comes to gender representation. He adds: “In Rwanda, which is a much smaller country than ours women are in the forefront in terms of leadership. This is because their government is committed to this agenda, we can do more in South Africa”.

International Women’s Day is a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

The following article first appeared on SarahHaas.com, 05 March 2017
By Sarah Haas and Jane Bodmer

As Nombulelo Alidacia Skeylie was driving home from a long day’s work as a nurse, she heard a “very upsetting” conversation on her local radio station in Johannesburg about male sterilization.

“Many women were calling in and saying they would prefer to get sterilized because ‘What if something goes wrong, I would rather be the one who has the tubes cut because they will cut the wrong tubes, and he will not be able to function sexually,’” Skeylie said.

Frustrated with the male-centric discourse, Skeylie unsuccessfully tried to call into the radio station. She realized she was listening to the prevailing views on masculinity in South Africa.

Skeylie’s epiphany speaks to a larger movement brewing in South Africa. Citizens, female and male, and young and old, are investigating what it means to be a man in their country. The common goal: deconstruct and reconstruct the concept of masculinity to reduce gender-based violence and move society forward.

“Unless we are able to have useful conversations with men to change their mindset, to change their outlook on life, we are not going to be able to deal with the challenges that we are facing,” said Bafana Khuamlo, director of Sonke Gender Justice, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that works to strengthen South Africa through the education of men and boys.

“A sizable number of relations are defined by what I call patriarchy and negative masculinities,” Khumalo said. “We need to, I would argue, de-educate men about what manhood is about. That manhood is not about violence, it’s not about using force, it’s not about forcing your ideas on others. Women are just as equal, just as good, just as powerful as men, and men have to learn that.”

Though South Africa has advanced in the political sector, and has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, the dogma of masculinity and those “negative masculinities” still remains potent. When one’s “manhood” is challenged and he fails to fulfill his “manly” responsibilities, he can turn violent.

“We still live in a country that is very, very patriarchal. We have a beautiful constitution, that should make things possible, but most of the time you find the reality of the crime is very different,” said Phindi Malaza, programs coordinator at The Female Empowerment for Women, or FEW.

“For a lot of people the constitution is just a document because it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t translate into ground to make situation better,” Malaza said.

Mpho Mhlongo, 23, understands this quandary all too well. The mother of three found herself in an abusive relationship once her “baby-daddy” and live-in boyfriend became insecure of her career and supposed independence. As Mhlongo began to work as a house maid and earn a steady income, her boyfriend felt the need to abuse her physically, emotionally and financially to assert his position as a male, and her subordinate one as a woman.

“He abused me emotionally, financially, physically. He’s the drinking type. He started not coming home. If I ask him, ‘Why didn’t you come home?’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy food?’ stuff like that, basics, he would start hitting me and stuff,” Mhlongo said.

“If I’m working, he is starting to become jealous… So he will start hitting me. He doesn’t give me any more money. I must hustle or do something in order for my children to have food.”

Mhlongo’s tale is not uncommon in South Africa. Soul City Institute for Social Justice reports that 45.6 percent of South African women experience one or more episodes of gender-based violence in their lifetimes. Additionally, 78 percent of men in Gauteng, the province where Johannesburg is located, have admitted to committing some form of violence at least once in their lifetime. As exemplified by Mhlongo’s harrowing ordeal, the role of power is linked to this and other forms of gender-based violence.

To reduce such violence, Bafana Khumalo and Sonke Gender Justice converse with men and young boys through a series of workshops and events around the country. The objective: teach attendees, both male and female, that manhood does not translate to dominance, as is generally perpetuated in South African culture and society.

“I always remind men when we have our own workshops that women’s rights are human rights,” Khumalo said. “We cannot expect to have a country where we respect the dignity of everybody but disrespect women. That does not gel.”

Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training, or ADAPT, also started a program in 1997 targeting men and perpetrators of gender-based and sexual violence. The program incorporates specific projects, including monthly support groups and annual conferences where attendees can discuss their experiences and feelings and provide each other with mutual support.

“We ask men, what’s your take on this? How do things affect you as a human being? As a father? And what is it that maybe we can do to help our government do the right thing?” said Peter Mbergeni, social worker and coordinator of the men’s program at ADAPT. “Bit by bit we’ll get there. It’s something that is happening, even if it is not that quick, but it is happening.”

Yet, the push to deconstruct and reconstruct the norms of masculinity does not just center upon the male population. Women are also being taught to overcome their passive compliance with patriarchal, misogynistic beliefs and behavior in order to empower themselves and their nation. Women of all races, ethnicities and socio-economic statuses tend to adhere to cliché gender roles and often dismiss gender-based violence and other behaviors as a male, “just being a man.”

“We need to recognize that the patriarchy isn’t just prolonged by men,” said Gail Smith, head of communications and outreach for the Mapungubwe Institute For Strategic Reflection, or MISTRA, a research institute that analyzes South Africa’s longterm problems. Smith also noted that South African women “have a lot to gain” if they sign with patriarchy. The more they accept and conform to patriarchy, the more they will fit into South African society and avoid harassment, judgement and isolation.

For some South Africans, the redefinition of masculinity is vital, as many in the nation struggle in an internal tug-of-war between customary and new ideologies.

“The idea today is based on wrong ideas about why one should be a man. Especially that we’re disconnected to our culture that used to be done, an initiation of a man,” said Bongani Zulu, a woodshop worker in Vosloorus, a township in the Ekurhuleni township 18 miles southeast of Johannesburg.

“So right now I’d say manhood in South Africa is very vulnerable. Very. Like to a 5 percent of 105. Yes, that’s how vulnerable it is.”

Phindi Malaza of the FEW organization agrees. Malaza says that starting at the community level is the only way to overturn the patriarchal system.

“Education is actually needed for the whole society so that when we talk, because…Perpetrators of rape come from communities. So the attitude has to change from those communities to teach men how to be better men. How to also respect the choices and rights of everyone in the society,” she said.

Still, the efforts being put forth by these determined individuals may not be enough in Johannesburg’s ancient and robust patriarchal system.

“We still have a lot of cultural values…we’ll call them values, traditions that we observe. I think we have a lot of [health] gaps we need to close…” said Skeylie. “Things are changing…they are, but I think the pace is too slow.”