AN OPEN LETTER TO SOUTH AFRICAN MEN – ARISE, MEN OF CHARACTER
By Ms. Phumelela Malaza (A Survivor – 2021)

ARISE, OUR NATION NEEDS YOU. ARISE, THE WORLD NEEDS YOU.

We acknowledge that not all men are perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence. We recognise and celebrate the men among you who are protective, supportive, accountable, responsible, loving, kind, principled and humane. We honour the Men of Character who continue to uphold what is morally and ethically honourable—both in private and in public. You are the men who stand tall even in a time like this, a time when GBV has been declared a pandemic in our country.

Men of Character, we urge you to arise! Our young boys need you. Our youth, our families, our communities need you. It still takes a village to raise a child—especially now, when we see a rise in child-headed households. There is an even greater need for fathers and positive male role models in our society. We call on you to extend yourselves and share your love beyond your immediate families, becoming reflections of God’s love to humanity. Strive to love and protect unconditionally wherever you go. Help us rekindle the spirit of Ubuntu in our nation.

How you live your life matters. How you conduct yourself in society matters. Your life can be the book that inspires the change we long to see in our communities. There is no greater power than love—no force more unifying for families, communities, our nation, and the world. Love crosses religion, culture, colour, and borders. Let us learn to love one another, to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Only then can we truly care for the wellbeing of every human being and show compassion for their struggles.

We also acknowledge that among you are many men who are victims and survivors of GBV, yet have suffered in silence. Some have even been labelled as perpetrators, though they, too, come from families and communities—families that may have been shaped by abusive parents, grandparents, stepparents, adoptive parents, uncles, aunts, pastors or pastor’s wives. No one is born a perpetrator. The fight to end GBV begins with confronting societal ills openly and courageously. We cannot heal what we refuse to confront.

Help us create a safer society for ALL South Africans and for future generations. Take action when you witness GBV—action that is preventative, not violent. Stand with us in eradicating this pandemic. We cannot curb the rise in GBV without you. We cannot end GBV without you.

ARISE, MEN OF CHARACTER.
ARISE—OUR NATION NEEDS YOU. ARISE—THE WORLD NEEDS YOU.