POWER OF SEXUAL ABUSE
OLWETHU Leshabane, 28, is becoming one of the country’s most beloved celebrities, but behind her razor-sharp wit and radiant beauty she has experienced sexual harassment.
“Many times sexual harassment is classified as rape and other horrific experiences like that, but we forget that calling out to a woman on the street or saying something offensive also classifies as sexual harassment,” she said.
Leshabane was crowned South Africa’s first princess in 2016. She has since been a fierce advocate for women’s rights and the protection of children in South Africa.
Last month, while she and her husband, Neo De Jenero, were on holiday in Dubai, Leshabane posted a picture of the two of them on social media. In the picture she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit.
She was immediately attacked by someone, who questioned why her husband would allow her to wear such a revealing swimsuit. ability to be a good wife and whether she respected herself and her marriage were also questioned.
“Women feel powerless and that is what harrasment normally does. It breaks women down. There are so many worse things men have said to me,” she said.
Lashabane, a mother of three, spends most of her time in the public eye.
she was approached by a man in the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
“This guy comes up to me and says: ‘Hi, I’m rich and I can take really good care of you. All I need is your number’,” Lashabane, said.
She said she felt so disgusted and said it was an indication of how rife toxic masculinity is.
“There is an assumption that this woman needs to be kept. It’s not that it’s become normalised. It’s so much bigger now because we have become aware of this. It’s been like this the whole time, but now we have not become silent about this.”
Lashabane is the founder of The Red Wings Project, an initiative highlighting the lack of sanitary products for disadvantaged women. She recently also teamed with India’s SafeCity to help reduce the high rape and sexual harassment rates in South Africa.
By bringing SafeCity to South Africa, through The Red Wings Project, Leshabane will crowd source stories of sexual harassment and violence in public spaces.
Leshabane said not everybody is comfortable about telling their stories, and because they are not sure how they will be reported, they find it a hurdle.
The idea behind SafeCity is to make this collected data useful for individuals, local communities and local administration to identify factors that lead to violence and work on strategies for solutions.
Leshabane said one of the many reasons she collaborated with SafeCity was because many survivors are embarrassed, afraid or have lost faith in the policing service.
“South Africa has a different narrative. We are trying to communicate and educate and move away from victim blaming and holding those responsible accountable,” she said.