{"id":1986,"date":"2026-02-01T16:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pixleyindependent.co.za\/?p=1986"},"modified":"2026-02-01T16:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T14:00:29","slug":"gbvf-is-a-collective-responsibility-not-an-attack-on-men-opinion-piece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixleyindependent.co.za\/?p=1986","title":{"rendered":"GBVF is a Collective Responsibility, Not an Attack on Men \u2013 OPINION PIECE"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Professor Motsamai Molefe<\/em><\/p>\n

Too often, calls to confront gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) are met with defensiveness. Men who insist \u201cI don\u2019t commit GBVF\u201d miss the point entirely. This is not about individual innocence\u2014it is about a societal crisis that demands collective responsibility. By individualizing the issue, we risk ignoring the cultural and structural roots of violence that President Cyril Ramaphosa has rightly declared a national disaster.<\/p>\n

Your innocence does not mean you have done enough. Nor does it erase the reality that women and girls bear the disproportionate burden of violence. South Africa\u2019s femicide rate is five times higher than the global average, with tens of thousands of rapes recorded annually\u2014overwhelmingly targeting women and girls. These numbers remind us that GBVF is not marginal but a crisis touching every family, community, and institution.<\/p>\n

The call against GBVF should be interpreted positively, not defensively. Men must take leadership in creating safer environments for women and daughters\u2014at home, in relationships, on streets, in churches, workplaces, taverns, and clubs. Leadership here means responsibility: ensuring women and girls live freely and with dignity, without fear. Men must also confront the moral decay fueling GBVF. Alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, and murder are not isolated problems; they feed violence. We must ask: what role have we played in allowing these conditions to thrive?<\/p>\n

This is where Ubuntu becomes essential. Ubuntu reminds us that \u201ca person is a person through other persons\u201d or \u201cI am because we are.\u201d GBVF is not just a women\u2019s issue\u2014it diminishes our shared humanity. To live out Ubuntu is to recognize that the safety and dignity of women and girls is inseparable from the wellbeing of men, families, and communities. When one suffers, all suffer. When one is free, all are free. Ubuntu calls us to collective action, to rebuild social cohesion, and to restore dignity where violence has torn it apart.<\/p>\n

It is unsurprising that GBVF calls are often voiced by women. But instead of hearing them as accusations, men should take up the conversation among ourselves. What kind of world do we want our daughters to inherit? What kind of boys do we want to raise\u2014boys who will grow into brothers, partners, pastors, politicians, and husbands who embody dignity and respect? These are not abstract questions. They demand practical answers in how we raise children, conduct ourselves in relationships, and shape the moral fabric of our communities.<\/p>\n

The fight against GBVF is not about blaming men\u2014it is about mobilizing all of us to confront a national disaster. Silence and defensiveness will not protect our daughters. Collective responsibility, grounded in Ubuntu, will.<\/p>\n

#StopGBV #Stopfemicide #StopRape #StopPoliceKillings #StopMurder<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prof Motsamai Molefe<\/em>
\nProfessor of Ethics, Leadership and Governance at UNISA School of Business Leadership<\/em>
\nLeader and Founder of One Million Voices Campaign Against GBVF<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Professor Motsamai Molefe Too often, calls to confront gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t