An anti-gender-based violence and femicide walk will take place on Saturday morning to honour the memory of Uyinene Mrwetyana and all victims of GBVF. Mrwetyana, a 19-year-old UCT student, was raped and murdered by postal employee Luyanda Botha in 2019.
The event will also highlight the role of nurturing,
educating, and empowering boys as part of building a safer society for all.
POSTER OF planned walkMarking its sixth anniversary with an anti-GBVF Walk, the
Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation is continuing its efforts to not only keep her
legacy alive but to call for the end Gender-Based Violence and Femicide as the
scourge of GBV in South Africa is among the highest in the world which remains
a terrifying reality for women in the country. They partnered with UCT and
Langa for Men, to host a commemorative walk under the theme ‘Reimagining
Safety: Developing the Boy Child as Catalysts for Change.’
‘’It is really important to be targeting young boys and
instill positive masculinity, and also to really build strong good men of the
future as well. So we have also created a mentorship programme, where we see the
psychological side of the boys so that it's not just them playing soccer, but
having the important conversations and have meaningful conversation, in terms
of consent and really things that are impacting them at the different age
groups they are at,’’ said Langa Nyanda, the Foundation’s Coordinator.
‘’A lot of organisations have focused on, sort of the reactive
measures, which are also important in terms of supporting victims, and support,
providing psychological support and therapy as well. In terms of reimagining
safety, we would like to see preventative measures where these crimes do not
occur and the way in which we can do that is target young boys and men of tomorrow,
and have good men where even when things are happening, they are really leaders
in their communities in terms of changing the narrative as well. We want to go
to the cause of the problem, which is young boys and the sort of habits they
learn growing into young men and the sort of negative, actions and behaviors
that are reinforced amongst themselves,’’ he added.
Nyanda elaborated on the importance of collaboration.
‘’Our mission is to fight and end gender based violence and
femicide in our lifetime and in order to do that, we cannot work in silos.
Civic organisations, government, and corporations, must work together, because
it affects us in the work place, at home, and at the post office. We also need funding
as a lot of the organisations are already doing the work and are working in the
communities, but they need the assistance of government and the collaboration
of government so that these projects can be implemented and we can be really be
able to be on the ground and have an effective change as well.’’
The walk starts at 8a.m from 10 Darling Street parking and participants
will proceed by walking, down Darling Street, Adderley Street, up Plein Street
to Parliament.
‘’We will then hold our short programme, outside of
Parliament and then once the programme is concluded, we will then be walking
back to 10 Darling Street and the programme continues there,’’ said Langa
Nyanda, the Foundation’s Coordinator.
A similar event was held in East London, last Saturday.
Done By: Mitchum George
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