Premier Oscar Lubabalo Mabuyane joined annual general meeting for SAPS men for change movement held in East London. He commended the good work done by the police service, (SAPS) voluntarily as part of your patriotic contribution to nation building. The Men for change program saw a new structure established. The program themed under Thetha Ndoda Thetha” was a great success with courageous commitment to support and protect the communities in building the Eastern Cape We all Want.
The Provincial government acknowledged the efforts of this forum which its work makes lifetime impressions to the ordinary people. The Men for Change movement has been inside the SAPS and outside the SAPS providing support to those who cannot stand on their own, said Premier Mabuyane.
As the Provincial Government we thank all the members of the Men for Change movement for the outstanding work you have been doing in our communities since the movement was established in 2004. The basis for the formation of the Men for Change movement was to fight the scourge of Gender Based Violence in our province. The Premier said, the Men in blue could use the time to invest in the Men for Change movement to do their own personal activities, but you chose to participate in a bigger cause that benefits humanity that your own selves.
The GBV has grown past the stage of being a public health concern, it is now a second pandemic as alluded to by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2020 Women s Day Address to the nation. Think of the mortality associated with assault of women, its long-term effect on their physical and mental health, think of gynecological problems rape victims go through particularly children, think of the sexually transmitted diseases, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide and other thoughts that women go through.
The fourth quarter statistics released recently by the Minister of Police indicate that incidents of GBV are on the rise particulalry sexual offences. That means women and children are on the receiving end of this heinous crime. Consequently, Lusikisiki has been declared the rape capital of South Africa. When we drill down on why there is a rise in numbers in Lusikisiki, we discover that reporting by victims of uKuthwala is improving and that is a result of education awareness campaigns led by SAPS and stakeholders such as Men for Change on the illegality of the custom of uKuthwala.
Under our constitutional democracy which promotes rights of all citizens, the customary practice of uKuthwala has been declared to be a criminal offence and has been incorporated into the Trafficking in Persons Act.
The criminalization of the customary practice of uKuthwala is long overdue and is in line with the value system that is espoused in our Constitution, of building a non-sexist and prosperous society based on justice, equality, the rule of law and the inalienable human rights for all. Ukuthwala is one of the patriarchal customs of our country that have disempowered women and violated their freedoms for generations and has no place in a society based on the principles of equality.
As the Provincial government we challenge the Men for Change movement to be vigorous in its education awareness drive in Lusikisiki to transform the mindset of men in that society and make them understand that uKuthwala is now outlawed and constitutes a rape charge. Awareness campaigns are going to play a critical role in this regard. UKuthwala is illegal and constitutes a rape charge, Rape is one crime that we must commit to do everything possible to prevent in our province, because for victims of rape the scars are a lifetime said Mabuyane.
Apart from GBV, there are other crimes that the Provincial Government would like the Men for Change movement to be seized with in our communities, there is a developing trend of using violence and destruction of property during protests in our communities. All of us including the Men for Change movement should be concerned by this phenomenon and act accordingly to prevent it. We cannot therefore fold arms and watch when genuine community concerns are used to destroy existing public infrastructure said Premier Mabuyane.
The Eastern Cape Provincial government also need the voice of Men for Change on the issue of substance abuse. Drug and alcohol abuse by young people has reached epidemic proportions, not just here in the Eastern Cape but across South Africa. The number of youths implicated in a-life-of-crime and criminality is unacceptably high, we know this because our correctional facilities are full of young people, the majority of whom are black African males. The young impressionable minds of our youth are under an unprecedented onslaught by the false advertising and glamourizing of alcohol and drugs and their associated lifestyles, as being ideal and located in the futures that our children should aspire towards. We need a counter narrative to this, and it is organizations such as the Men for Change that should champion that counter narrative alongside government, to save our youth and save the future of our country. Most of us are fathers and brothers to young men and we should be concerned about the kind of fathers they would be if their lifestyles are characterized by drugs and alcohol abuse.
During the AGM for men Premier Mabuyane said, he would like to see the Men for Change movement locating its Programme of Action for the next 3 years within the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy of government, which is a blueprint to prevent and combat all forms of crime in our country
That would be in line with the DDM model of government which encourages integration.
May the resolutions of this AGM reflect a movement that truly wants to effect positive change in the lives of our people said Premier Oscar Lubabalo Mabuyane.
