Uyinene Mrwetyana, Makazole Mapimpi Foundations unite against GBV

The Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation says the government’s inability to deal with gender-based violence and femicide in the country places the lives of women, children, LGBTQIA plus community, and people living with disabilities under threat.

The Foundation, in partnership with the Makazole Mapimpi Foundation, held the third annual Uyinene Mrwetyana Walk in East London in the Eastern Cape.

The walk aims to highlight the scourge of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide while commemorating the life of the late University of Cape Town student, who was raped and brutally killed by Luyanda Botha at a post office in Claremont in 2019.

More than 300 people, young and old, including government officials, united in the fight against Gender-based Violence and Femicide.

The Foundation’s Thobeka Msengana says government Departments like the Department of Justice and the South African Police Service are failing to maintain safety and security for both women and children.

“We were very unhappy and disappointed to hear this year that one of the perpetrators of GBV are SAPS members, people who work in the police force who are supposed to protect the public and help in ensuring that we are ending the scourge of GBV,” she says.

Mkazole Mapimpi Foundation’s Nomzamo Nkatshu and Eastern Cape Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, adds that men should wage war against gender-based violence and femicide.

“Majority of perpetrators are men and most of them are exposed to Gender-Based Violence at a young age. Statistics in South Africa also show that boys are also victims of GBV. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. I discovered that if a young man is not in sports, he is inherently going to court at times. The abuse of alcohol and drugs is creeping in and these (young men) are professionals waited on by the society and I think the involvement of leaders is important.”

Uyinene Mrwetyana’s mother, Nomangwane Mrwetyana, says while statistics reveal an increased rate of GBV cases, she remains steadfast in promoting a society free of gender-based violence.

“Sometimes, this kind of work feels like a losing battle in the sense that every day, you hear of how women are killed and assaulted. Crime stats yesterday were released and that is pointing a bad picture. But on the ground, we are continuing with the work. We are hopeful that we will have a better South Africa.”

The Foundation has also established a football team for young and older males as a means to keep them away from social ills like engaging in crime and the abuse of alcohol and drugs.

NGOs hold annual walk in remembrance of Uyinene Mrwetyana