Students at Tshwane University of Technology rally to raise awareness and combat Gender-Based Violence.
The Tshwane University of Technology Institutional Students Representative Council (TUT ISRC) hosted a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) awareness event at the Soshanguve South Campus Student Centre. With the theme ‘Together, We Can Move From Good To Great,’ the event aimed to raise awareness among young people, specifically students who experience daily abuse in their relationships, and to encourage them to take a stand against this pandemic.
Invited guests included students from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Dr. Nkosinathi Maluleke, a medical doctor by profession and an associate lecturer at Wits Faculty of Health Sciences.
Maluleke was the main speaker at the event, and he expressed that his passion for the medical profession led to his invitation to speak at the event.
“I do a lot of pathology work, which involves performing autopsies. I witnessed many women who are victims of GBV, many of whom were killed by their partners,” said Maluleke.
Maluleke is also the father of a disabled child. He mentioned that he is working towards creating an environment where his daughter will be safe even when he is not around.
She is disabled, and some might take advantage of her because of her disability. He further mentioned that in his workspace, he has observed that more females are admitted to the emergency unit than males.
” Women experience hardship and violence because of gender daily, and this is evident even from a medical perspective,” added Maluleke.
Soshanguve Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) Secretary General Khumo Peter Molamu, who is part of the event organising committee for this awareness, stated that the ISRC hosted this event due to the recent GBV cases reported to SRC offices.
These cases are occurring around residences and on campus. The ISRC saw it as very important to address the issue of GBV because many students do not know what constitutes GBV.”
“This type of event will raise awareness among students that they must not take the issue of GBV lightly,” said Molamu. He also highlighted the reason for hosting the event at Soshanguve Campus. “We chose Soshanguve because, as the CSRC Secretary General, I have recorded many cases of GBV here, and we saw a need to host the event due to the increase in reported cases around the Soshanguve Campus,” he added.
Talifhani Gladman Tshithavhana, the Chairperson of the Students Christian Organisation, was also in attendance. In his address, he shared that he had learned a significant amount about GBV at this TUT event.
“I have learned a lot, I don’t want to lie. One of the shocking pieces of information I discovered is that in South Africa, every three hours, a woman is abused. To me, that was very alarming,” he said. “It was a wake-up call regarding relationships and gender inequality. Our women are vulnerable and need protection.”
“It feels bad when perpetrators target students, and most of the time, they target them in town. While you are still growing or pursuing your goals, you fall prey to this inhuman act,” added Tshithavhana.
To ensure that each student felt welcome and comfortable, there were dance performances, singers, entertainment from Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Theater, refreshments, and T-shirts provided after the event. A monologue about Gender-Based Violence was also performed.
