President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the abuse of women by men who hide behind culture and tradition.He was speaking at the Free State provincial men’s indaba as part of the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children campaign on Thursday. Ramaphosa told more than 5,000 people in Lemo Green Park that violence against women and child has reached an unacceptable level. He also said that these crimes were committed in the name and honor of customs.“Some men, in the name of tradition, commit these crimes. Some men, in the name of masculinity, commit these crimes. We can talk the whole day, but the truth is that I do not respect women and view them as objects. Women are the most valuable assets of our country and must be treated with dignity,” Ramaphosa. He said. In order for GBV to be eradicated from society, every citizen must take an active role.“The abuse of women and children impugns our dignity as men. Men must stop being on the sidelines and being spectators. Crime festers in a culture of silence and the results are that women are becoming terrified,” He said.“South Africa has a crisis of broken families where the vast majority of children do not live with their biological fathers. Boys lack father figures. Premier (Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae), you have initiated something really good, and hopefully it will spread across the country,” He said. MaQueen Letsoha Mathae is the premier of Free State. She said that GBV incidents and femicide have been common in the province, leading to the idea of holding an Indaba.“We were recently alerted about the killings of Katleho and Onkarabetse Leeuw, who were cousins and were found killed days apart. Their parents have been arrested as a result of what appears to be a case motivated by vengeance. In QwaQwa, a woman survived after clinging to a tree branch after being raped and thrown into a raging river. These are some of the challenges we are faced with,” Letsoha-Mathae said.TimesLIVE
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2025-12-05 11:18:30
