Scores of members of Young Intellectuals of Khayelitsha (YIK) held a fun walk carrying placards to fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in Khayelitsha on Saturday 5 November.
The fun walk started at the OR Tambo Hall in Site B and went up through Japhta Masemola Road to Total garage.
‘Stop Gender-Based Violence You Do Not Own Any Human Being’, ‘Gwala Ndini Lendoda Yizobetha Le Indim Indoda’, ‘Wayalwa Kugqutha Once Ubethe Ibhinqa.’, read some of the placards carried by the protesters.
YIK convener Olwethu Tetyana said it is time for the young people of Khayelitsha to unite against crime in the area.
YIK is a non governmental organisation (NGO) designed to raise and fight against the social ills in Khayelitsha.
Tetyana said it is imperative for the community to be proactive rather than to react to issues. He described GBV as one of the major problems terrorising communities.
“GBV is a pandemic that needs to be addressed. We felt that we can’t sit down while our community is gradually fading away. We decided to come together and make the initiative to fight against GBV against women and children. And we have noticed that most incidents of GBV are occurring during the weekends. We believe that some tavern owners have an impact on that because they don’t close on time,” he stated.
Tetyana stated that their next initiative would be on Saturday 19 November.
The campaign will involve different stakeholders, including the police. They will walk from Makhaza to Town Two.
