Members of the My Vision Your Vision organisation held an awareness march against gender-based violence (GBV) on March 11 at Emaphupheni in Daveyton.
The two-hour march began at Corner Sithole Drive until Francolin Street where participants held placards written ‘a woman is not a punching bag’ and ‘killing is not a situation’.
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The march aimed to inform residents of Emaphupheni and surrounding areas that GBV exists and they should not remain silent until it is too late.
According to Nompumelelo Masango, co-founder of the organisation, men should also speak up.
“Even if you are not a victim, please report such cases. If you don’t want your name to be revealed, you can request to remain anonymous at the police station. GBV is a pandemic that affects us all. It affects victims emotionally to a point that they will believe that no one is helping them and then they decide to end their lives because no one cares. So, we have to notice signs from people around us,” Masango said.
Masango urged people not to turn a blind eye but take action.
A member of the community, Zamokuhle Mdletshe, said she joined the march because she felt it was time to show the community that some people are affected by GBV.
GBV survivor Nhlanhla Mnguni said, “I do not want what happened to me to happen to someone else. That is why I’m speaking out. I learnt a lot from the programme as it encouraged both genders to not tolerate abusive actions from their partners.”
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