Disappointment at lack of men at Men for Her Johannesburg march
A Johannesburg non-profit organisation hosted a demonstration to urge men to join the fight against gender-based violence, but activists and marchers were disappointed by the lack of men attending.
Dressed in black, men and women gathered at Joubert Park on September 18 for a men’s picket, organised by non-profit organisation Men for Her.
The demonstration follows the reported discovery of nine bodies in Ekurhuleni.
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Tebogo Magafane, secretary general of Men for Her, explained that the picket aimed to stand up against gender-based violence (GBV) in the country. “We are concerned that we invited a large number of males who did not show up, which speaks to the serious ignorance problem we are faced with, especially in males,” said Magafane. “As an organisation, our work doesn’t end here today. We aim to visit schools, churches and communities to talk to them and lead by example of the society we want.”
Member Oscar Kanyane expressed disappointment at the turnout, noting that more women attended than men. “We arranged transport for more males to join us here today, but they made excuses about the weather and didn’t show up,” said Kanyane. “It’s disappointing that South Africans can’t fight for South African women.”
Mayor Dada Morero commended the organisation for the picket, despite the low turnout. “Today’s turnout must not discourage us from speaking up against GBV,” said Morero. “We must never tire of raising the issue of GBV, which also means that, as community members, we have the responsibility to protect our women.”
Soweto community activist Lusanda Rhodes said she came expecting men to lead from the front, but was disappointed that more women attended, adding that it felt as though women were on their own.
The picket ended at Constitution Hill, where organisation members met court staff to discuss a possible review of the constitution regarding GBV perpetrators.
Also read: Message of hope to victims of GBV
Court staff instructed the group to draft a memorandum for online circulation, submit it, and await a response within one to two weeks.
Kanyane said the next picket would take place at the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Braamfontein if their memorandum receives no response.
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