GRIP, universities reach out
"I wanted to murder him, and I pulled a gun - in front of witnesses. I did not shoot, only because my sister stood in front of him. I am very fortunate not to have a criminal record," she said.
MBOMBELA – GRIP is set to become more active on local university campuses. On Friday, a new non-profit organisation, Females for Females, had its first official meeting, facilitating a collaboration between tertiary institutions in Mbombela and GRIP.
The Student Representative Council (SRC) of both the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) had representatives present.
Tinyiko Dlamini, representing Females for Females, facilitated the meeting. “Females for Females is the original name of our non-profit, but we have decided to bring it under review,” she said.
“We have found that men often have just as big of an impact in helping women. It was due to a man’s kindness that I have picked myself up after gender-based violence. I intend to pay it forward.”
Dlamini shared how she lost her virginity to rape when she was a student, and the trauma pushed her to the extreme.
“I wanted to murder him, and I pulled a gun – in front of witnesses. I did not shoot, only because my sister stood in front of him. I am very fortunate not to have a criminal record,” she said.
“The result of rape is devastating, you feel dirty and ashamed.”
“Everyone reacts differently; some become promiscuous, others are closed off. Then there are those who try to get justice and seek revenge. All of it can be avoided if we just get help.”
Licky Thusi, programme manager at GRIP, noted that the majority of people in need of their services do not know about them, “Over the years, our connections with the tertiary institutions have faded. We no longer have a direct line of communication with them. We need to re-establish contact. We believe that women are automatically vulnerable, and we need to be available to them.”
Taelo Mashego, SRC member at TUT was moved by the stories. “We will host GRIP, and have them in contact with the psychologists at TUT who aid students with mental health management. We will collaborate to spread awareness on campus.”
Moses Sithole, SRC member at MPU, agreed. “I can tell there is a need, and I don’t want to just cover rape, but promote empowerment of young women,” he said.
“We should go beyond our university and work with GRIP to create awareness and educate those in the communities we can identify that is in need of such an organisation.”
