ETHEKWINI Municipality has taken a giant leap against unrelenting violence against women and children, says City Manager, Sipho Nzuza.
Nzuza was leading a march of hundreds of male city employees who handed over a memorandum to the ANC chief Whip Sibongiseni Mkhize. In the memorandum, the city’s men declared with one voice that “enough is enough.”
According to Nzuza, the purpose of the march was to raise awareness that abusing and killing women and children is a crime and has to stop. “We call upon men in all sectors of society to curb the scourge of violence directed at women and children. The message must be clear to every man that abusing powerless people is unacceptable in our society and he belongs in jail. We need to work together in order to reduce gender based violence,” said Nzuza.
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Receiving the memorandum, Mkhize echoed the marchers’ sentiments. “We can no longer tolerate seeing any sorrowful incidents happening in any communities. Men should be rolemodels to boys in order to build strong family structures and teach them good societal morals,” said Mkhize. He said men should be responsible for the protection of women and children from ‘vultures’ who are merciless. “I urge parents to teach boys that abuse has no place in our society. No one has the right to abuse any human being,” Mkhize said.
Nonkululeko Kheswa, who marveled at the throngs of men entering the city hall precinct to hand over the memorandum, expressed her gratitude to city leadership for taking a stand against gender based violence. “As women we are living in fear due to the reports of abuse and murder cases of women and children that we see in the country. It is heart-warming to see the municipality taking a stand against this inhumane behaviour,” she said.
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