Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena called for men to support their partners
By Kopano Dibakwane
As part of the build-up towards the launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, Mpumalanga Provincial Government in conjunction with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities, hosted a Men’s Dialogue on Gender Based Violence and Femicide(GBVF) at the Emnotweni Arena, in the City of Mbombela on Tuesday 14 November.
The dialogue, attended by men from different sectors, was held under the theme;” Positive masculinity in leadership to end violence and abuse against women and children”.
According to Mpumalanga Provincial spokesperson, George Mthethwa, the province is designated to host the launch of the 16 days of activism on 25 November in the City of Mbombela. He said that the theme for the dialogue emphasises that toxic masculinity has to be discouraged, as men tend to use masculinity in order to exert physical power and control.
” The Men’s Dialogue provides a platform to share and reflect on personal experiences, to influence men’s attitude and behaviour towards GBVF,” said Mthethwa.
Speaking at the event, Chairperson of Mpumalanga House of Traditional Leaders- Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena, said men must accept that women are no longer timid and can’t be easily bullied into submission.
” We’ve come here to also share our experiences as traditional leaders. All of us were born the same way, the only difference is how we were brought up. I want to challenge all men to be pillars and not obstacles to their partners,” said Kgoshi Mokoena.
Other speakers included Sipho Zitha from SA Men’s First, which is an organisation that caters for the needs of men, in relation to legal matters and mental health. Zitha said that there’s a link between depression, schizophrenia and acts of GBVF.
” We encourage men to speak out about issues that affect them, instead of using drugs and alcohol to escape their problems. In terms of legal matters, we encourage men to rather approach a magistrate to obtain a protection order if they feel oppressed at home, instead of physically abusing their partners. We have a strategy to speak with them, give them the privacy they need so that they can express themselves freely,” said Zitha.
