BOYS AND YOUNG MEN MUST BE PART OF THE EFFORTS TO COMBAT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

By Mashudu Mzimba.

• Community organisation Umthombo Wempilo has urged those in the social welfare space to include boys and young men in efforts to build safer communities and combat gender-based violence.
• Umthombo Wempilo was one of the organisations that engaged with the Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, during a pre-budget visit to Khayelitsha, on the Cape Flats, on 9 July 2025.
• The organisation called on the Department of Social Development and its partners to intentionally include boys and men in safety planning, stating that interventions must be inclusive if long-term change is to happen.

Today at Baphumelele Children’s Home in Khayelitsha, Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe concluded her pre-budget public outreach activities by engaging with children, parents, officials, community workers, and civil society organisations.

The engagement, on 9 July 2025, affirmed the Department of Social Development’s commitment to the safety, protection, and welfare of children, particularly those living in vulnerable circumstances.

Children and youth attending the engagement also used the platform to express their concerns about abuse in their communities and the importance of their right to education and protection.

Joining the minister in the call to protect children was young Lonwabo Gama, who said: “We have the right to be protected and the right to go to school.”

As part of today’s programme, Buhle Msipha from Umthombo Wempilo, a community development non-profit organisation based in Khayelitsha, addressed the audience on the growing need to include boys and young men in efforts to build safer communities and combat gender-based violence.

His organisation works across the City of Cape Town through school-based programmes, community dialogues, partnerships with women’s organisations, behavioural education, and skills development initiatives.

It also runs camps and volunteer programmes to support youth leadership and social change.

Boys are often overlooked in social development programmes, particularly once they turn 18 and exit the child welfare system, Msipha noted.

Many face exclusion due to policy and legal barriers that prevent them from accessing shelter and continued support.

“We’ve had cases where we could not find a shelter for a young man simply because he was over 18. The law doesn’t allow it, and that leaves boys on the street. That is not safety, that is neglect,” he said.

He emphasised that while men are often seen as perpetrators of violence, many men are willing to be part of the solution.

“We are dealing with high rates of violence in communities, and statistics often show that men are perpetrators. But we also have many good men who want to be part of the solution. Excluding them from programmes only makes the problem worse,” he added.

He called on the National Development Agency to introduce Expanded Public Works Programmes that include men and boys, to support mentoring programmes, and to provide skills development that can reduce poverty and violence.

“There are no tailored programmes for young men once they exit the system. They need guidance, work experience, and positive role models to help them become agents of change and not statistics,” Msipha said.

He urged the Department of Social Development and its partners to intentionally include boys and men in safety planning, stating: “You cannot build a safe society without involving the men and boys who live in it. We must design interventions that are inclusive if we want long-term change.”

Minister Tolashe spent the rest of the engagement listening to the children, encouraging them to speak up about their needs and their dreams.

The conversation reflected the department’s broader commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment.

Today’s engagement in Khayelitsha marked the conclusion of the minister’s pre-budget activities.

The voices of the children and the calls from organisations such as Umthombo Wempilo continue to guide the department’s efforts to build safer and more inclusive communities.