Men from Nyanga and the surrounding communities gathered at Khanyisa Centre Csevi in Philippi for a Men’s Imbizo.
The gathering, on Saturday 12 November, was organised by Nyanga Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum in collaboration with other local organisations to discuss issues that affect men.
The event organiser,Dumisani Qwebe, described the gathering as a breath of fresh air. He said the aim is to address the challenges that men face and to try to find solutions.
Qwebe stated that it was vital for men to be taught morals at an early age.
“We encourage men to speak out. They must stop suppressing their feelings because when they explode they cause huge damage,” he urged.
He appealed to men to be responsible and to protect their families and communities.
Qwebe said men faced a lot of temptations and urged them to desist. “Men must be good examples and role models to their families and society at large. They must stop raping and killing women and children. We are saying enough is enough. Not in our name,” said Qwebe.
He described gender-based violence (GBV) as a pandemic that affected many communities.
Last month, attempts to convene a similar meeting at New Eisleben High School in Crossroads drew a blank.
Nyanga Police Station commander Brig Jan Alexander urged the community to work with the police to fight crime. He stated that GBV affected both men and women.
“GBV and domestic violence are some of the cases that are common in Nyanga. However, he stated that the majority of the culprits were men.
“In most cases, men are using their masculinity to attack women and children. We need to work together with the community to fight criminal elements,” said Alexander.
Resident Bonga Tshotsho reiterated Qwebe’s sentiments that men must speak out. He described the men who rape and kill the children as cowards.
“I so wish that if a person can think before he does something to another person, how would he feel if somebody could do the same to his sister or daughter? We need to think before we do any bad thing to another person,” said Tshotsho.
He urged young boys to focus on their studies.