#MillionsOfMenAreNotTrash!

SIR – We cannot allow people to make a blanket statement that all men are trash.

Some women were raised by good and responsible men, yet they nonetheless agree on a hashtag that suggests that all men are trash.

There are millions of men out there who have raised great and healthy families.

As men, we also need to report our friends who abuse their wives and girlfriends.

In our upbringing, parents normally counsel their girl children, whereas boys are told to be strong.

We really need a different conversation about how to raise a good boy child.

The exclusive focus on the girl child must change, urgently.

It is to be hoped that the death of Mandla Hlatshwayo – who was at the time trying to save a woman who was being mugged – will change the mindset of many women.

It underscores the fact that there are millions of good men out there who are even prepared to sacrifice their lives to save women.

A generalisation like “all men are trash” clearly does not make any sense.

We know that some men abuse women on a daily basis, but these are criminals and the law must take its course.

For instance, many husbands have been killed by their wives for the sake of insurance benefits, but men have never concluded that all women are trash.

Let’s not forget the Judge Maqubela and Flabba cases.

To simply classify all men as trash is not a solution to the problem of violence against women; it’s