Men need to unite and declare war on the scourge of gender-based violence.
This was the message for the first Men’s Parliament that sat in the Gqeberha City Hall on Thursday.
The event aimed to bring together men’s voices to produce a single message, possible solutions, and efforts to bring about equal human rights for all.
Constituency services political head Rano Kayser said the participation of men in the struggle to emancipate women had always been there but not in a structured platform.
He said men, individuals and groups, had made numerous attempts and even mobilised, organised, and educated others on various platforms, but with relatively little success.
“We are convening as men to discuss among ourselves strategies and approaches of getting Bay men better organised and united in approaches and strategies of defeating gender-based violence and femicide,” he said.
Luvuyo Ngxiki, a former St Albans inmate and author of Self-Inflicted, highlighted the absence of father figures in a boy’s life and how this contributed to ongoing societal challenges.
Ngxiki said he had been convicted and sentenced to 11 years behind bars because he had tried to prove to his peers he was not a mommy’s boy.
Reflecting on the ongoing violence in Gqeberha, he said people were ready to kill daily.
“The people who are killing are not serial killers but paid to do the job.
“It’s all business related with disgruntled entrepreneurs who never got tenders or they are bitter towards one another,” he said.
Ulwaluko Initiation Forum chair Pule Lonake said life after initiation was crucial and older men needed to be involved so that younger ones could have better role models.
He said a lack of men involved in initiation, and life generally, contributed to men growing up and falling into bad habits.
“Ulwaluko has a syllabus which is why back in the day we would stay three to six months, but now due to challenges, it is three weeks.
"However, it is important that manners and responsibility be instilled and taught,” he said.
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