Impromptu braais and drinks with family and friends have become synonymous with the festive season. While hearty laughter often characterises the so-called “silly season”, it is also a time during which the safety of the country’s women is at heightened risk.
And while there is nothing wrong with getting the fire started for the braai and preparing the side dishes that will accompany the meat with a drink in hand, one should be mindful of the amount of alcohol they consume.
This is because excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a loss of self-control and contribute to broader societal challenges, including gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which manifests not only within households but society as a whole, including institutions of higher education.
“GBV is definitely a challenge,” Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, told SAnews during a recent interview. .
Given the high number of GBVF cases in the country, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has collaborated with the Commission on Gender Equality (CGE). As a Chapter 9 institution, the Commission is charged with promoting respect for gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality.
“We collaborated [with the CGE] around gender-based violence. We ran an awareness campaign where we had the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority], [Department of] Social Development, and the SAPS [South African Police Service] and through Higher Health, which is our implementing agent in terms of issues related to GBV and student wellness, we identified institutions we could go to and the reception [among students] was good,” the Deputy Minister said.
Alcohol and substance abuse, as well as the use of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds to buy alcohol, were issues that came to the fore during the course of the campaign.
“SAPS cautioned students to say that when you get your money, the queues are so long at (bottle stores) and the like, and this is very concerning. Research has shown that there’s a relationship between GBV and alcohol.
“Of late, there have been concerns around students using NSFAS money for gambling,” the Deputy Minister said.
She added that Higher Health has a peer-to-peer education mechanism, through which students support one another on issues including HIV and AIDS, as well as and gender-based violence.
“I think they need to extend that to the gambling issue. Also, they have a civic education and soft skills programme that you can do. It is an NQF accredited programme and it includes a component on financial literacy. It also has a component on drugs, GBV and alcohol abuse. We could use that programme as well to sensitise young people around the ills of irresponsible gambling.
“There is responsible and irresponsible gambling, just as is the case with the consumption of alcohol. So, I think that programme could really help. The great thing about the programme of Higher Health is that there’s a component of financial literacy and I think we could partner with NSFAS and [ask them to] recommend that students do the financial literacy programme so that when they get the money, they use it responsibly,” she explained.
The Deputy Minister has emphasised the importance of students using their NSFAS funds for their educational needs.
“Alcohol and gambling are not part and parcel of that, and even the illegal purchase of substances.”
Transforming MEN’talities
The Deputy Minister made reference to the Transforming MEN’talities programme that is aimed at young men and was led by her predecessor, Buti Manamela.
“This is because gender-based violence is something we can’t address just from the perspective of women and the impact that it has.
“We also have to speak to the young men and say, hitting and abusing a woman is not on. That programme is very effective in that sense in that it is an accomplished man [Minister Manamela], who is speaking to other young men to say that gender-based violence is a no-no and you will be arrested and thrown out of school if you abuse women,” she explained.
During a working visit to France in May, Deputy President Paul Mashatile addressed a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Transforming MEN’talities campaign in Paris, where he said the campaign plays a significant role in strengthening efforts to combat GBV through the inclusion of boys and men.
“South Africa has been implementing Transforming MEN’talities as a tool to combat the GBV pandemic in recent years. Today, I want to focus on the three approaches that we have taken as South Africa to address GBV. The first approach is a comprehensive implementation of Transforming MEN’talities, bringing it to young South Africans through the Higher Health initiative,” the Deputy President said at the time.
He added that South Africa’s second approach focuses on cross-sectional research programmes that examine the underlying social and behavioural factors driving the GBV pandemic in South Africa. The third approach centres on the commitment to, and growth of the programme in the country, Africa and globally.
Crisis
Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared GBVF a national crisis. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the G20 Social Summit, the President said no society can thrive as long as gender-based violence and femicide persist and the agency of women is denied.
Adding that the violence perpetrated by men against women erodes the social fabric of nations, the President’s comments came ahead of the launch of the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign, which ran from 25 November 2025, until 10 December 2025.
The declaration was welcomed by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD). Subsequently, the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Department also welcomed the decision of the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, to classify GBVF as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act of 2002.
“After evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, the NDMC has concluded that GBVF now meets the threshold of a potential disaster, as defined in the Act,” the department said recently.
However, the classification does not invoke emergency powers but reinforces and strengthens existing systems by consolidating key initiatives.
“The classification calls on all organs of State to strengthen their support to existing GBVF response structures, to fully implement their contingency arrangements, and to ensure that all necessary mechanisms are activated to enable the National Executive to manage the disaster effectively,” noted the department.
The Deputy Minister said that “our institutions reflect what is going on with our society”, while also bemoaning the issue that women still bear the brunt of GBV.
“Women constitute the majority of people in this country… but we still bear the brunt of gender-based violence, disease and poverty,” she said.
Risk assessment
Recently, Higher Health stated that 316 591 students have completed its GBV Risk Assessment over the past four years to determine their vulnerability towards GBV at the country’s 26 public universities, 50 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and nine community colleges.
Additionally, 367 079 students have completed Higher Health’s GBV Co-Curriculum Programme over the past four years across public universities, TVET, and community colleges.
In its 2022/23 Annual Report, Higher Health said that when self-screening indicates that students may be at risk of suffering or perpetrating GBV, they are referred for psychosocial support, either on campus or at an off-campus service. Referrals for psychosocial care are also made through the 24-hour crisis helpline (0800 36 36 36) and student health services.
Responsible festivities
While the 16 Days commemoration under the theme, "Letsema: Men, Women, Boys and Girls working together to end Gender-Based Violence and Femicide", concluded on 10 December 2025, women and children continue to worry about their safety and take precautionary measures, particularly at this time of the year.
And while we should make the most of the festive season, including enjoying one’s favourite tipple and other treats, we must do so, cognisant of the need and responsibility to protect the country’s women and children, regardless of whether one is a student or not. - SAnews.gov.za
