ZFM Men say NO to Gender-Based Violence

The men of the ZF Mgcawu District took to the streets in a peaceful march to pledge their support in the fight against Gender-based violence and femicide against women and children. The crisis of gender-based violence is a national concern affecting all members of society and it is for this reason that this men’s march consisted of religious leaders, leaders from government, community members and male personnel from the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality led by its Executive Mayor, Councillor Paulus Mgcera.

This event took place while South Africa is in the process of commemorating the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” from the 26th November to the 10th December 2020. The scourge of violence and brutal killings of women and children in South Africa has led to the President declaring a period of mourning in remembrance of those who have lost their lives at the hands of violent men and through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The men marched to the Upington Magistrate’s Court to hand over its message of commitment to the Senior Prosecutor, Mr A Damarah. The Executive Mayor, Councillor Paulus Mgcera spoke on behalf of all men in the ZFM District in pledging their support to fight against gender-based violence.

“As the ZFM District, we want a society where women, children and other vulnerable groups can live freely, without fear of either being abused or killed. We reconfirm our commitment to fight vigorously against the scourge of gender-based violence,” he said. The Executive Mayor emphasised that government must avail more resources in this regard, that the church must come out strong on GBV matters and that communities must expose perpetrators and not turn a blind eye to abusive behaviour.

As part of the two-day program, the Department of Social Development in collaboration with the Deputy Minister of Tourism’s Office held a session at the Augrabies Waterfalls with boys between the ages of 9 and 13 who live in the Augrabies area but never had an opportunity to go to the Augrabies Waterfalls. The purpose of this session was to educate young boys on the importance of becoming responsible men who protect women and children, set good examples in their homes and create healthy and safe environments for women and children.

The ZF Mgcawu District Municipality would like to thank all the role-players who contributed to the success of these programs.  

Uploaded on January 2, 2021, by Web Ateljee

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