Like the rest the country, the University is responding to the call for the eradication of any form of unfairness against particularly women and children. Men are also affected, but statistics show that women and children are still the common victims of gender-based violence. The campaign, that runs for 16 days, is called ’16 Days of Activism against Women and Children Abuse’. Now ‘femicide’ has been added, hence the ‘GBVF’. The call will run from 25 November to 10 December 2024.
On the first day of the campaign against women and children abuse, addressing staff, the University Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, who said: “As we commemorate the start of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Girls, I call upon each of you to unite with me in ending the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) on our campuses and in our communities. The magnitude of the problem requires a collective, dedicated response from all stakeholders. As Vice Chancellor and Principal of MUT, I commit to driving and supporting all efforts aimed at eliminating GBV in its various forms, including sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation. MUT has always expressed a zero-tolerance stance on GBV.”
Addressing the attendees on behalf of Professor Sibiya, Dr Jahan van Koller, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Resources and Planning, said MUT was concerned about the scourge “in our city, our province and in our country. We are concerned about the safety of our female staff and students. We hope that this event and the 16 Days of activism will have a positive impact on the fight against GBV at MUT and its surrounding areas of Umlazi and beyond”. Dr van Koller also said that MUT management was pledging their commitment to do “everything in our power to not only help reduce instance of GBV, but also to eradicate it from our society”. Dr van Koller added they were encouraging especially their students, “our youth, to become activists in the fight against GBV on campus and in our communities”.
Then on 2 December 2024, several like-minded partners were in the University’s Seme Hall making a call against GBVF, which they described as a second pandemic, the first being Covid-19. While moderating the programme, MUT Gender Forum Chair, Dr Yvonne Mvuyana called GBVF “scourge that needs all of to work together to tackle”. The meeting was an initiative of the Good Men Foundation, working with the MUT’s CEAD. Speakers agreed that the problem was big, it is now regarded as scourge. The difficulty of the situation was discussed at length, with people like Thandeka Khoza MUT member of staff, suggesting the issue should be part of the school’s curriculum, and said “we need to go back to the basics”.
Responding accordingly to the theme of 2024, ‘the time to act is now’, Smangaye Xaba, President and CEO of The GoodMen Foundation, said “scourge is still with us; in families, and other places where we meet. If we collaborate, we can end this scourge”. Xaba said his organisation was implementing plans with stakeholders to deal with the problem and create a violence-free environment. Xaba said they had various programmes with which they tackle the problem. One of these is ‘Families Unite’. This programme seeks to help families to deal with the problem.