Campaign targets abuse

THERE are 109 rapes and three femicides reported daily in South Africa.

This is according to Dr Matome Kganakga, South African National Aids Council men’s sector chairperson.

Kganaka revealed this yesterday at the launch of a #NoExcuse campaign to stop women abuse. The campaign was launched in collaboration with South African Breweries.

Kganaka aid it was sad that women in South Africa lived with an “enforced” curfew and that it was time South African men became progressive. He called all organisations to come forward and get involved in this “lifebettering initiative”.

Some of the country’s more prominent male figures, such as Robert Marawa, Matthew Booth and Thato Sikwane (DJ Fresh) were part of a panel and urged men to get professional help “rather than using women as their punching bags”.

According to DJ Fresh, it was the responsibility of the community to reprimand one another and not just “let it go”.

“I’ve been married for 15 years and my wife and I used to fight a lot verbally during the first two years of our marriage. I could see this rubbing off on my 3-year-old, and I decided to take a decision to manage my anger and become the role model I want him to be,” he said.

Booth, a former Bafana Bafana player, said he “had the gift” of moulding his children to be better people.

“I am disgusted to be part of a gender responsible for such damage in society. We can’t blame alcohol for our vicious acts and one needs to measure one’s words, and learn how to express certain things rather than abusing women,” he said.

Marawa said men needed to be careful of sexual advances and “jokes” made against women. –