Durban - The Phepha Foundation based in Cato Manor and The GoodMen Foundation based in Montclair have set up initiatives to fight the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV).
Nhlanhla Mnqondo, who is the founder of Phepha Foundation which he started in 2019, said the non-profit organisation targets and distributes whistles to small towns, such as Isipingo and KwaDukuza among others.
Mnqondo said the Impempe awareness programme is an initiative that delivers a thousand whistles per town to create awareness and fight the scourge of GBV. The whistles may be used by the community when they see an act of abuse being committed.
“The Impempe awareness programme was created to fight GBV in societies we live in. Sometimes violence happens under our watch and people do not want to report it so if a woman or a child is abused you as a neighbour have to simply blow a whistle.
“We are currently distributing one thousand whistles per small town like Isipingo, KwaMakhutha, KwaDukuza, and Pinetown, we are also distributing it to taxi ranks and hawkers because we want everyone to be involved in fighting GBV,” said Mnqondo.
Reflecting on 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign which runs from November 25 to December 10, Mnqondo said it is important to look after each other.
He said men should be having discussions among themselves about the GBV.
“I wish men can be at the forefront of the programmes that deal with GBV. The government also has to intervene in creating dialogues with men talking about these issues and coming up with solutions,” said Mnqondo.
Executive director and founder of The GoodMen Foundation, Smangaye Xaba said the organisation wants to create awareness about GBV.
Xaba said the organisation does not want to just embark on a protest when a GBV incident happens. He said it is better to always engage society on issues like these.
He said there is a need for awareness to be created all year round about GBV and not only when major incidents happen. This includes educating men about the rights of women and children.
“We must be the type of men who are willing to take the initiative in protecting women. We have responded to over 150 cases of GBV and most of the perpetrators were men,” said Xaba.
Xaba also stressed the need for men to be at the forefront in the fight against GBV.
He added that the organisation has set up psycho-social services for victims of GBV.
“We have a psycho-social club that assists victims of GBV at uMhlanga Social Club. I believe after women have been abused they need to be properly counselled. But we will not win this fight against GBV if men are not part of the multi-section response in fighting this,” Xaba said.
KwaZulu-Natal Social Development spokesperson Mhlaba Memela said the department appreciates that there are organisations that see the need to find new ideas in addressing GBV.
“We expect everyone to have a role to play in fighting the scourge of GBV including men. This is an issue that cannot be resolved by the government alone,” he said.
Memela said the MEC has established a good relationship with community stakeholders like churches, South African National Taxi Council in KZN, and schools.
“Sixteen days of activism is not only 16 days, we are saying it is 365 days in a fight against GBV,” said Memela.