Durban — Tavern Dialogues will be held in 20 taverns in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape in August, Women’s Month in South Africa.
The dialogues are facilitated by subject matter experts from NGO Act Now and are designed to educate and equip men to drive positive change in their communities.
The are being are hosted in areas identified as hot spots for gender-based violence (GBV) from an analysis of official crime statistics.
Hundreds of patrons of township taverns in the four provinces are expected to pledge to stand against GBV in the month of August, a month where women of this country are honoured, and as part of a series of dialogues on GBV supported by Distell.
Men are invited to open up about their experiences and views, particularly about what constitutes GBV and how to address it.
In an addition to the programme, men will be invited to take the Never in Our Name pledge, an undertaking to stand tall, be brave and support the women of our country, and say Never in Our Name will GBV happen.
The pledge has also been signed by 450 taxi operators as part of a collaboration between the National Liquor Traders, the SA National Taxi Council and Distell.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said men should play their part in ending gender-based violence and femicide and take responsibility for their actions.
“There is no shame in speaking out against the abuse of women and children in our country. The shame lies in seeing a sister, a neighbour, a child, or a grandmother bearing the scars of violence and saying nothing. The time has come for the men of South Africa to unite against GBV in our communities,” Cele said.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said the SAPS remained committed to strengthening the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GVBF), and was allocating more funds and personnel to fight the scourges.
In the 2022/2023 financial year, the SAPS allocated R1.3 billion to programmes aimed at preventing, combating, and investigating GBVF and its root causes. In a bid to also improve the SAPS’ response to GBVF, GBV desks have been established at all police stations. These desks are staffed by members who are trained to investigate and handle these cases.
“From 2010 to date, 6 192 life sentences have been handed down to perpetrators of GBVF and other related crimes. From April 2021 to March 2022, 14 728 GBVF perpetrators were arrested. The SAPS initiatives ensure collaborative policing activities are rendered with the intention to reduce all levels of crime in communities,” Masemola said.
“As the monitoring of compliance at licensed liquor outlets continues, SAPS management encourages everyone in the country to continue to work closely with the SAPS to ensure that crimes like GBVF are fully eradicated in our communities.
“We have also introduced measures to encourage the establishment of good practices and liquor forums at station level, which are enablers for safer drinking behaviour and responsible trading. Together we can win the war against GBVF with the view of realising the NDP 2030 vision of ensuring women walk freely in our streets and children play safely outside.”
Convenor of the National Liquor Traders, Lucky Ntimane said people gathered in taverns to socialise and relax, and they should be safe spaces for patrons to interact.
Ntimane said violence has no place in our society and our taverns have an important role to play in upholding community values and promoting responsible drinking.
“This includes taking the lead in eliminating gender-based violence and femicide. With the litany of reports of women and children being hurt and killed by men, it is time for men to take a stand and lead in the fight against GBV and femicide,” Ntimane said.
Daily News