Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Monday called on men to be “integral agents of change”.
“Nations have placed great value in the protection of women and children. Even in times of war women and children were not supposed to be harmed. Today, women and children are butchered as if it is a sport by the men who are supposed to protect them,” she told the men's parliament on Monday.
According to the most recent crime statistics released by the South African Police Service, from July to September 897 women were murdered, more than 13,000 cases of domestic violence were reported and 9,500 rape cases opened.
Men feel inadequate. Men feel they must be protectors and providers and when they can’t, they feel inadequate. This affects their demeanour towards everybody.
— Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Cogta minister
“This paints a harrowing picture,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
“The women and children of this country are not safe. These numbers are an indictment on our moral standing as a nation. It is an indication of the extent of our departure from our African values as a nation, with ubuntu as a core value.”
She implored men to understand the reasons for the prevalence of violence and challenged the traditional leadership to do more work in communities and villages.
“Men feel inadequate. Men feel they must be protectors and providers and when they can’t, they feel inadequate. This affects their demeanour towards everybody. We cannot defeat gender-based violence without addressing general violence in society.
“There are nine-million young people between 19 and 34 not in training, education and employment. The challenges we have, poverty, unemployment and inequality, violent crime follows that.
“We have to empower women in terms of jobs, opportunities and resources to bring about equality and empower them to be able to walk away from a toxic situation,” she added.
The minister referred to research conducted to understand men and their masculinity.
“Notions of manhood have been identified as a driving factor behind frightful behaviour. They have also identified violence as a characteristic means to display power and prove their masculinity to those in their communities,” she said.
“The media and society have given them [the] impression they can own us. They don’t own us. You can’t own a human being, it is a crime against humanity.”
She also cautioned against promoting gender roles for children in the home.
“It is important what happens at home because adults bring to society what society teaches them as children.”
Dlamini-Zuma thanked traditional leadership for partnering with parliament and playing an active role in addressing the problem.
“I want to challenge you to implore and enforce a zero tolerance movement in your communities and villages. If a man seeks refuge in your village because they have been accused of abuse in another village you must take them out.
“Our traditions have never and do not promote abuse against women and children,” she said.
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