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Manamela urged parents to raise boys to respect, protect women

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Deputy Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela says communities and parents have a responsibility to raise boys who will respect and protect women.

He interacted with student from various TVET colleges and universities in KwaZulu-Natal on issues around gender based violence.

The interaction was sparked by the recent attacks on women at institutions of higher learning.

In one of the incidents, 21-year-old Zolile Khumalo – who was a first year student at the Mangosuthu University of Technology – was shot dead, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend Thabani Mzolo at the Lonsdale residence after the couple had broken up.

Amongst the challenges raised by students is the demand for sex in exchange for marks by lecturers and the fear of speaking out about abusive partners. Manamela has urged parents to teach their boy children to respect women.

“We think it’s quite unfortunate that some of the patriarchal practices are perpetuated through culture, tradition, religion or any form of these institutions, parents as the first people to give lessons to their children that we should take that advantage and say to our young men in particular, they have got no right on the bodies of young women and to empower young women to be able to speak out, to empower young women to be able to expose any form of gender based violence.”

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