Turning Purple: Women for Change calls for national gender-based violence shutdown ahead of G20 Summit
Advocacy Letter: Minister Godongwana
Mr. President,
You have called for a second Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) under the theme: Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification NOW. The Ministry of Finance’s participation in the planned summit is crucial and critical in ensuring appropriate funding levels for the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF and it can only do so with a political head that fully appreciates that sexual harassment, violation and assault is not complementary, it is not humorous or unavoidable but that it is a form of violence and abuse of power; this power should not be a gift of protection to the privileged.
Brenda Madumise-Pajibo comments on the abuse & murder of Namhla Mtwa
“Gender activists are calling for harsh sentences for gender-based violence perpetrators, following a number of incidents in the past few weeks. Gender-Based Violence victims were laid to rest in various parts of the country today. We joined by Advocate Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, the director of Women’s empower organisation, Wise 4 Afrika.” – SABC News
It’s more a rape crisis than it is about teenage pregnancy
In December of 2019, we ventured out on a roadtrip to Mafikeng in the North West Province where we were to meet with teenage mothers who had agreed to share their stories with us. The interest to meet with these girls, whose identity we will keep anonymous here, was sparked by a number of schools reporting high rates of girls being pregnant in what seemed to be within a simultaneous timeframe. More specifically, it was the Parliamentary session where Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, was questioned about the number of pregnant school girls and she reported that 121,099 girls ages 10 to 19 had fallen pregnant within a 12-month period. Below is the breakdown by province and age categories of 10 to 14 years as well as those 15 to 19 years.
Advocacy Letter: INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE// MOHALE AND S MHLONGO
Matters related to gender-based violence in the form of physical assault have been publicly reported against Somizi Mhlongo. Based on these, it appears that incidences of physical and psychological abuse were prevalent and were commited with impunity by Somizi Mhlongo.
We implore IDOLS SA to act in a manner consistent with what is expected in the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and assume a strong posture against violence and the tone and message that conveys such to the millions of South Africans and your loyal viewers. IDOLS SA has a responsibility, for the common good of this country, to serve noticce on abusers by tangibly standing with victims and endorse calls for a South Africa free of intimate partner violence.
Popularizing the National Strategic Plan on GBVF
It’s no secret that South Africa is ranked globally as the most dangerous place for women to live. At the same time, South Africa is celebrated internationally for its progressive policies and legislation on equality in general yet the aspiration of this vision is yet to be realized by many women who don’t enjoy a basic constitutional right to safety.
Under the project management of Wise 4 Afrika, we are pleased to publish an infographic representation of the NSP, the infographic package includes graphic representation of the summary NSP as well as the representation of each pillar.
Advocacy Letter: Violence In eSwatini, 6 July 2021
The violence and brutality of the government of eSwatini cannot just be condemned or be dealt with through issuance of lukewarm statements but requires decisiveness in holding the government accountable to the violence and atrocities visited upon the people of eSwatini. We call on the leaders of SADC to act swiftly against the government of Eswatini by demanding an immediate cease of violence against its citizens and ensuring that every citizen injured receives medical attention and those responsible for acts of violence are brought to justice to account for their actions.
A Summary of the Virtual Symposium on Shifting the Economic Power
It was a pleasure and an honor to be your host in the online presentation and dialogue held on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021; attended by nearly 90 participants. Special thanks to the collaborating partners who made this possible, Masimanyane, NIISA Institute for Women’s Development, Teddy BearClinic and The Wise Collective for leading the effort to deepen our understanding and help popularize the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
As Youth Month comes to a close, let’s reflect…
It isn’t news that South Africa has some of the most dire rates of gender-based violence in the world. Imagine that, a population of less that 40 million, and we are the country where rape, murder, and domestic violence runs rife. Is this our gulag? Is this our concentration camp? Were we born to die? For women, the fight for freedom rages. Below are personal accounts of what freedom would look like for the women working with WISE 4 AFRIKA…
#wiseTalk | Young Women Building Feminist Jurisprudence
In celebration of Youth Month, Onica Makwakwa, director of Wise 4 Afrika hosted a live Wise Talk with Kgali Kedijang and Sarah Reddy. Both of whom are the participating young women in Wise’s efforts to build feminist jurisprudence in South Africa.