Gender-based violence is an ‘evolving war’

GENDER-based violence like most things in life, evolves with each generation. So says local resident and staunch activist against gender based violence, Beverley Motlhabani.
Being raised by a convent grandmother, Motlhabani says activism has been part of her life since she was three years old.

“My grandmother would take me and my twin sister with her when she went to visit the frail, the old and less fortunate communities in our neighbourhood. She would make us ‘help’ – which was not really help considering we were just toddlers,” she said. 

“As the years went by and I grew older, the concept of helping everyone around me and fighting for equality was something I did not leave behind.”

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Born in Taung, North West, bred in the Mother City Cape Town, Beverley said moving to KwaZulu-Natal was not in her wildest dreams.  She says being a black youth of the apartheid days meant almost all her actions were a crime. Even something as positive as activism.

Being a vocal activist against the government of that time, she found herself on the wrong side of the law and her only way to ‘duck’ arrest was fleeing to ‘Shaka’s land.’

“My arrival in KZN however was not a pleasant one as I was running away from the police system of that era,” chuckled Bev.
“In those days- especially if you were black, any act against the system landed you on the police’s ‘most wanted list’. I was in hiding for a while, but once the dust settled I got my life back and registered as a student at the then University of Natal Durban.”

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The Durban North resident is one of the provincial leaders of the #TheTotalShutdown movement, calling for an end in gender-based violence (GBV).

She said, “Women in older generations were taught to persevere and bear the pain of abusive relationships. Mostly because of fear of losing their livelihood, the younger generation falls victim to the ‘at least’ narrative. ‘At least he didn’t kill me, at least my children are fed’.

Motlhabani who is also a member of the African National Congress Women’s League said all communities need to join forces in order to win the war against GBV.

“In some cases the abuser is not even aware that their actions are wrong until they are called out on it. This may be because of how he was raised and things he was taught. As a society we need to do better, we need to teach our young ones better,” she said. 
She went on to say, “As political role models, especially in government we also need to do better. If we ourselves are in abusive relationships, we need to speak out and encourage other women to come forward and report any form of violence.” 

The #TotalShutDown is a movement started on social media after a group of women shared their experiences with abuse. Motlhabani said because of the volumes of people who came forward the campaign became more than just ‘social media chats’.

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“When we decided to meet as victims we realised that it was not only females that were experiencing GBV.
“We had men, who identify as women (gay and transgender) coming forward saying they too are victims of the abuse. We then formed an inclusive platform, welcoming anyone who identifies as a woman to be part of the campaign,” said Motlhabani.

On 1 August the campaign took to the streets all over the country, saying enough is enough with the abuse.

“Women including the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer (LGTBQIA) communities as well as Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) and children are dying at the hands of men in South Africa, and something needs to be done,” said Motlhabani.

Memorandums were handed over to government, parliament and other provincial and local structures. Among their demands the campaign wants better cooperation from police when victims go to report these crimes.

“Police need to prioritize GBV cases. A lot of murders could have been prevented had police officers done their job instead of brushing victims off by saying their experiences are ‘minor domestic disputes.”

Motlhabani concluded by echoeing her movement’s words saying the country ‘has no business’ celebrating Women’s Day which was celebrated last Thursday, 9 August.

“We have nothing to celebrate. Every week, we receive multiple reports of women, children, and gender non-conforming people who have been brutally murdered, kidnapped, or abused, and there is no sense of urgency from our leaders to find ways in which society can tackle this violence,” she concluded.

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