President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that South Africa has placed the burden of male violence on women, forcing them to change their lives while men often remain silent. In his national address, Ramaphosa expressed that women have been left to organize marches, warn each other about dangerous men and places, change their routes home, and avoid going out at night due to the threat of violence. He emphasized that this reality must change.
Ramaphosa's address came amid the backdrop of killings of women and girls across the country, including the discovery of 11 women's bodies in Ekurhuleni since July. He began his speech as a husband and father of daughters, expressing his pain and national shame over the violence inflicted upon women in South Africa. The president read out the names of women whose bodies had been found in Ekurhuleni and elsewhere, highlighting the severity of the issue.
The president emphasized that the solution to violence against women cannot be to restrict women's freedom further. He stated that women should not have to reorganize their lives around the threat of male violence and that the freedom promised by the constitution cannot be enjoyed fully by men and cautiously enjoyed by women. Ramaphosa placed responsibility for changing this reality squarely on men, calling on them to challenge friends who humiliate their partners, colleagues who harass women, and relatives who abuse their wives or girlfriends.
Ramaphosa pointed out that gender-based violence begins long before physical violence is committed, often starting with attitudes that regard women as inferior and the normalization of jealousy, harassment, and abuse. He highlighted that a national study found that more than 60% of women murdered in 2021 and 2022 were killed by an intimate partner, emphasizing that the greatest threat to a woman is often someone she knows and trusts.
The president stressed that prevention must begin in homes and with how boys are raised. He emphasized that schools, universities, churches, workplaces, and sporting organizations all have a role to play in preventing gender-based violence, but singled out men and boys as having a particular responsibility. Ramaphosa also rejected the idea that victims could ever be responsible for the violence inflicted upon them.
Ramaphosa stated that the country must move beyond mourning and condemnation, saying that seven years after he first addressed the nation about the crisis, he does not want another president to deliver the same message in the future. He emphasized that the men of South Africa must stand up and fight against gender-based violence alongside women.
The president concluded by calling on men to take responsibility and act against gender-based violence. He emphasized that it is time for good men to stop being silent and to challenge the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate violence against women. Ramaphosa's address aimed to raise awareness and spark action against the pervasive issue of gender-based violence in South Africa.
Key points
- President Cyril Ramaphosa calls on men to challenge violence against women.
- The burden of male violence has been placed on women, forcing them to change their lives.
- Ramaphosa emphasizes that prevention must begin in homes and with how boys are raised.
