President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South African men to stand up and be counted in the national fight against gender-based violence (GBV), warning that the country faces a pandemic of violence that will continue to destroy families and communities unless men take responsibility.
Addressing delegates at the 2025 Men’s Indaba at Lemo Green Park in Bloemfontein on Thursday, the President said he was encouraged to see “brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles and sons of our nation” gathered with a shared purpose.
“You are here because you recognise that violence against women and children is a pandemic, and a crisis that will destroy our nation if we do not stop it. You are here because you are ready to stand up and be counted as men and boys who declare: ‘Not in my Name,’” President Ramaphosa said.
The Indaba coincides with the global 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
The President noted that the latest crime statistics show a drop in certain serious crimes but a rise in contact sexual offences and attempted sexual offences.
“That means more women and girls, and even young boys, have been victims of sexual assault, rape and attempted rape. Every day across this country, the safety and dignity of women and children is being undermined by the actions of violent men,” he said.
President Ramaphosa reiterated that gender-based violence is rooted in the actions, choices and cultural attitudes of men.
“Gender-based violence is not a problem of women. Gender-based violence is the actions of men, and about the terrible crimes they commit,” he said.
He acknowledged government’s ongoing interventions including the opening of a new Sexual Offences Court in Botshabelo earlier in the day but stressed that these efforts alone would not end GBV.
“Without directly engaging men, we will continue to have marches, hold protests and conduct social media campaigns; all led by women. And the statistics will not change,” he said.
Broken families
The President further highlighted deep-rooted social issues that contribute to violence, including father absence, unemployment, school dropout rates, substance abuse and the pressures men face in society.
“South Africa has a crisis we don’t speak about openly enough, and it is broken families,” he said, noting that the majority of children do not live with their biological fathers.
He warned that many boys are growing up without male role models, leaving them vulnerable to gangs, crime and substance abuse.
“Many men in this country are suffering from depression from being unemployed, from isolation and loneliness…struggling with alcoholism and drug dependency,” he added.
President Ramaphosa also criticised harmful portrayals of masculinity promoted in communities, on social media and in pop culture.
“The image is being pushed everywhere that violence is showing strength… and that being kind and compassionate makes you weak, a coward and a ‘simp’,” he said.
Abuse in everyday spaces
The President detailed the various forms of abuse facing women and girls from intimate partner violence to exploitation, coercion and emotional harm.
“The abusers of women and children live among us. They are our fathers, our sons, our grandfathers, uncles, cousins and friends. And most shamefully, when they happen, other men look away,” he said.
He called for honest reflection among men about the underlying attitudes fuelling abusive behaviour.
Safe spaces
The President spoke of the need for consistent, nationwide dialogues involving men and boys, beyond the annual 16 Days campaign, to create safe spaces for vulnerability and accountability.
These conversations, he said, must address prevention, psychosocial support for boys in schools, rehabilitation of offenders and community-level interventions.
“South Africa does not need a so-called new generation of men. It needs the men and boys of this generation to do better, and to be better. We need men who are protectors of women, not perpetrators,” he said.
The President ended his address with a strong call to action, emphasising that the tide will only turn when men take a stand.
“Men of South Africa, I call on you to stand up and be counted. Let us say resoundingly: not in our name. GBV will fall when men rise. Not in violence, but in respect, courage and accountability,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
