Incidents of gender-based violence and femicide have prompted the Premier Soccer League to partner with Carling Black Label to battle this scourge.
Carling, which is also one of the sponsors of the league, launched the #NoExcuse movement in 2017 as its contribution to fighting gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
The #NoExcuse movement, which coincides with the start of 16 Days of Activism, marks three years of the initiative which has focused on driving positive change among South African men as a way to dissuade them against committing acts of GBVF.
The movement’s holistic approach is to be a ‘lighthouse for positive masculinity’ aimed at driving awareness, creating meaningful conversations and providing useful tools for men to take positive action as a means of driving change.
As one of the most influential sporting codes with a largely male audience in South Africa, the league, spearheaded by its chairperson Dr Irvin ‘Iron Duke’ Khoza, has announced its partnership with the #NoExcuse movement.
Speaking at a virtual press conference at the launch of the partnership, Khoza emphasised the importance of the movement. He said, “The mission is to make sure that the #NoExcuse movement becomes a national, continuous movement that goes beyond the16 Days of Activism Against GBVF.
“We want all our members in the football family to set an example for the rest of the nation when it comes to GBVF and the abuse of children in the country. In each and every corner of the country there is a football supporter and support for football knows no gender.”
Since its inception, the #NoExcuse movement has hosted various activations in close partnership with men’s organisations such as Alexandra’s Takuwani Riime and Father-A-Nation.
Carling Black Label brand director Arné Rust echoed Khoza’s words and said, “We are proud to strengthen our long-standing relationship with the league. We have witnessed the impact our joint efforts have had in empowering champion fans and we hope to carry this momentum into this partnership.
“The majority of South Africans’ passion point is football, and we could not have picked a more befitting platform to engage in much-needed conversations around gender-based violence and strengthening our fight against this social ill that truly affects us all.”
The partnership will ensure that each member of the league will undergo a ‘Champions for Change’ (C4C) course, either online or through in-person training by the movement’s on-the-ground partners, Father-A-Nation which is spearheaded by 2019 Humanitarian of the Year award recipient, Craig Wilkinson.
In addition to the C4C course being offered to members of the league, Rust said they would encourage players from both the Premier Division and the GladAfrica Championship, including the technical staff to take action against GBVF.
“They will also be required to make the RenewALL vow which is in line with the movement’s 16 Days of Activism campaign. The RenewALL campaign calls on all men to renew what they stand for in their relationship and recommit to helping in the fight against GBVF and to also rebel against the idea that they cannot help,” Rust concluded.
