Revolutionist and senior member of the government, Maropene Ramokgopa, urged fellow revolutionaries and community leaders to fight injustices in their communities.
“If you are a revolutionary, you should stand up and fight anything that seeks to portray some kind of discrimination of one person against a fellow human being,” Ramokgopa said.
She delivered her main address during a dialogue at the Unisa main campus on Wednesday.
More than 50 men and women participated in the event organised and hosted by the Unisa branch of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union’s (Nehawu) gender committee.
The event was in honour of the 1956 generation that marched to the Union Buildings to protest the repressive laws of the time.
They shared ideas to develop and pave the path for a generation of workable solutions to the social issues that South African communities face daily.
Inequality, the effect of poverty and the high unemployment rate on GBV, among other topics, were briefly discussed.
This happened against the background of South Africa being the most unequal society in the world, according to a World Bank assessment, with race playing a significant role in a society where 10% of the population controls more than 80% of the wealth.
Better Up states that inequality also applies to the workplace where those performing the same job are paid unequal salaries. “The South African job market is friendlier to men than women,” according to Statistics South Africa.
Inequality, according to Ramokgopa, is undesirable.
As the second deputy secretary-general of the ANC, the minister of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) participated in the dialogue and denounced GBV. She urged community members who commit acts of GBV to stop.
“GBV is not something natural, but it is a societal construct that can also be deconstructed,” she said.
She added the fact that GBV was on the rise was worrying.
“No aliens arrive at night while we are sleeping, commit GBV and then vanish; it is some of us. Some of you men are raping women.”
She questioned the motivation for raping and beating women, saying that it was past time for society to make amends by refraining from such barbaric behaviour.
She pointed out that it was crucial to understand that GBV was not only physical but also emotional – both have no place in society.
It affects both wealthy and poor families equally, she said, adding that it knows no gender or bounds.
While the government has to step in, according to her, community members have also a more important role to play.
“We, as community members, are the ones who must deconstruct GBV.”
Deputy chairperson of Nehawu in Tshwane Mokgadi Lesoka urged women not to accept the idea that seeks to divide them according to age, citing that it makes them weak.
She said the use of the terms “young” and “old” divides society.
“Women are building a nation when they are supporting one another.”
The meeting made it clear that it would be crucial for a subsequent conversation of this nature to occur. It was also emphasised that measures should be set up to track and assess how efforts aimed at improving society are progressing.
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