The Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has emphasised the importance of economic participation for women to help end gender-based violence.

Nkoana- Mashabane was launching the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence against Women and Children.

She was speaking at Pimville in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Nkoana- Mashabane says, “We are fighting for women to get more economic employment so as to get access to that which makes them do the things they do best. As a government, we have committed to taking tangible action to ensure that 2026 economic justice and rights are granted for women and girl. Women’s effective economic participation is integral in ending the scourge of GBV.”

VIDEO: Launch of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign:

Bereaved family

Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu together with the North West Social Development MEC Boitumelo Moiloa are expected to visit the family of a gender based violence victim at Moruleng village near Rustenburg, on Friday to send a message of condolences to the bereaved family.

This after the victim’s body parts were found inside a fridge at Soweto a week ago.

Apparently, the victim is a resident of Moruleng near Rustenburg in the North West. Twenty-six- year-old, Flavio Hlabangwane, was arrested after body parts of the victim were found packed inside his fridge.

He has since abandoned his bail application.

Moiloa says her department, in partnership with various NPOs have provided psycho-social services to 1 575 victims of gender based violence in their shelters, while 17 200 people were reached through community engagement programmes.

VIDEO: Tarryn Draai, gender-based violence survivor shares her story”

Positive masculinity

Non-profit organisation, Women and Men Against Child Abuse says introducing children to positive masculinity from an early age is crucial in the fight against child abuse.

The Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town estimates that 26% of adolescents have experienced some form of sexual abuse.

Spokesperson for Women and Men Against Child Abuse, Ngaa Murombedzi says, “Children shouldn’t be punished because the parents are no longer together, especially because the father is in a position to contribute positively.”

“So we want our society to also start addressing fathers, addressing male role models, male figures in the children’s lives so that this becomes a holistic conversation around how do we as a society men and women curb the scourge of child abuse,” Murombedzi adds.

Additional reporting by Sylvester Serame.