Minister Chikunga calls on men and boys to help end GBVF

Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has urged men and boys to take an active role in combating gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) by challenging harmful gender norms and promoting respect for women and girls.

Speaking at the launch of the National Positive Masculinity Programme in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, on Friday, Chikunga said the initiative seeks to encourage responsible male leadership, non-violent conflict resolution and accountability.

Held under the theme, “Real Men and Boys Build, Protect and Transform”, the programme aims to address attitudes and behaviours that fuel gender inequality and violence.

“Positive masculinity means the opposite of violence and control. A good man is not measured by how much fear he creates, but by how much safety he creates,” Chikunga said.

She called on men and boys to use their strength, authority and influence to protect, support and care for others, while taking responsibility for their actions.

Chikunga said ending GBVF requires a collective effort involving government, civil society, faith and traditional leaders, employers, educators, parents and communities.

The programme is informed by the Human Sciences Research Council’s first South African National Gender-Based Violence Study, published in 2024.

The study found that one in three women aged 18 and older had experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.

It further found that 29.3% of women with disabilities had experienced physical violence in their lifetime, compared with 21.7% of women without disabilities.

According to Chikunga, the programme will implement evidence-based interventions at individual, interpersonal, community and societal levels to tackle the underlying causes of violence.

These interventions include improving access to mental health services and substance-use support for men, strengthening family support programmes and addressing childhood exposure to violence.

Age-specific anti-violence initiatives will also be introduced in schools, places of worship, sporting organisations and traditional councils.

The programme will further link GBVF prevention to alcohol-abuse prevention, HIV prevention and women's economic empowerment.

Chikunga said the rollout builds on an initial engagement held in KwaZulu-Natal's uMzinyathi District in March 2026, with structured pilot programmes planned for Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and the Free State before the initiative is extended to all nine provinces.

Government is also strengthening its broader response through the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, the National Council on GBVF and the President's Four-Point Plan announced on 29 September 2026.

The plan includes a 60-day audit of unresolved sexual offences and violent crimes against women and children, measures to reduce forensic backlogs, safety audits of high-risk public spaces and tougher enforcement against illegal liquor outlets.

Government boosts GBVF prevention and support

Chikunga highlighted additional funding allocated to prevention and support services, including R3.8 billion to employ more than 3 500 social workers and R186 million to strengthen forensic and investigative capacity.

Government is also expanding sexual offences courts from 55 to 101 and increasing the number of Thuthuzela Care Centres from 72 to 80 by 2028/29.

A further R157.4 million has been allocated to the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to improve coordination and oversight of the national response to GBVF.

“These commitments and allocations demonstrate that government is not paying lip service to the fight against GBVF,” the Minister said.

However, she cautioned that funding and policy commitments must translate into effective implementation, accountability and measurable improvements in the safety of women and girls.

She said positive masculinity should be reflected in everyday actions, including challenging sexist behaviour among peers, supporting women's leadership, sharing caregiving responsibilities and holding perpetrators of abuse accountable.

The campaign also draws inspiration from the 1956 Women's March, which marked its 70th anniversary this year.

Chikunga said involving men and boys in changing harmful attitudes is essential to advancing the equality generations of women have fought for.

“The war on GBVF cannot be won by one institution or one individual. It requires all of us. We are declaring that South African men and boys are ready to carry their share of that war,” she said.

She added that the programme would be expanded across provinces, districts, schools, workplaces and households as government works to strengthen the fight against GBVF.