Kabelo Mabalane's involvement in 'No Excuse' campaign faces backlash

Kabelo and Gail Mabalane

Kabelo and Gail Mabalane. Picture: Twitter

Published Nov 25, 2021

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Former kwaito star Kabelo Mabalane’s inclusion in the “No Excuse” campaign received backlash after he admitted to being a perpetrator of abuse when he was younger.

Last week the former TKZee member and his wife, Gail Mabalane, alongside Dr Musa Mthombeni and his wife, Liesl Laurie-Mthombeni launched the No Excuse campaign against gender-based violence.

For this year’s campaign the Carling Black Label initiative is focusing on the dynamics with young couples, conflict resolution, abuse and the symbolic meaning behind the vow exchange.

Taking to Twitter, Kabelo shared about the initiative and said: “Last week we launched #NoExcuse.

“A campaign that vehemently condemns intimate partner violence.

“As a young man I too was a perpetrator of this shameful cowardly behaviour.

“The shame and the embarrassment made me shy away from these spaces and I've since learned that as important as it is to take full responsibility for this reprehensible unacceptable behaviour, I am also now at (a) place where I appreciate the importance of lending my voice to fighting this pandemic.

“To the perpetrators there is hope and there is healing. Don't be afraid to get help.”

His post received backlash on the micro-blogging website, with many saying perpetrators of abuse shouldn’t be centred in the fight against GBV and that campaigns shouldn’t be used to sanitise their images.

“I just want to emphasize that I do not believe in Restorative Justice because the idea of "redemption" is used to sanitize the perpetrator's reputation.

“That is what is happening here,” said @young_serotonin.

“Ugh, perpetrators don’t need a platform or an audience to be celebrated for understanding and admitting they’ve abused people.

“You’ve turned this narrative into the total opposite of what the conversation and focus should actually be. No surprise - Men,” commented @Maccoah.

“You are centering yourself & other abusers, which is not Allyship.

“You are also talking of the GBV/IPV as though it is some sort of innate thing like an addiction or compulsion that controls abusers & renders them powerless, and not a series of conscious & deliberate choices,” said @claudius_jr.

“Such posts make it seem like the perpetrators are the victims in all of this.

’Y'all beat women and children then talk about "hope" and "healing" for yourselves? Niyahlanya?

“What about your victims? What about their hope and healing? commented @Bantu_Mthabela.

“Why are GBV campaigns always a vehicle to sanitize the images of perpetrators of the violence they're trying to combat?” said @TheTitanBaddie.

“I do believe it is important for perpetrators to get rehabilitation and all of that.

“However I do not believe that they should be in the forefront of GBV movements.

“These spaces should be central to victims and survivors. Former perpetrators must create their own spaces!“ said @ThembiMatroshe.