MAN TO MAN | BATHEMBU FUTSHANE CALLS ON MEN TO BREAK THE SILENCE

By Cuma Pantshwa

• Call for Male Leadership: Bathembu Futshane, Acting Chief Director at the Department of Social Development (DSD), calls on men to take responsibility in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), emphasising that men must lead efforts to change harmful societal norms and intervene when necessary.
• Challenging Toxic Masculinity: Futshane stresses the need to dismantle toxic masculinity, which perpetuates GBV by associating manhood with dominance and violence. He advocates for a shift towards values of respect, equality, and collaboration to break the cycle of abuse.
• Mobilising Men Through the Pledge: To encourage men’s active participation, the Department of Social Development, along with its partners, has launched a campaign aiming for one million men to sign a pledge against GBV and femicide. Futshane highlights the importance of collective action and solidarity in changing the narrative around GBV.

In South Africa, the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) is a moral imperative. The statistics are grim—women are frequently harmed or killed by their intimate partners, while children and members of the LGBTQI+ community are victims of unspeakable violence and face persistent threats.

Bathembu Futshane, Acting Chief Director for Communications at the Department of Social Development (DSD), calls on men to take personal responsibility in the fight against GBV. “Gender-based violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men against women, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and children,” says Futshane. “It is men who must take the lead in addressing it, intervening against other men, and changing the values and belief systems that underpin this violence.”

During this year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the Department of Social Development and its partners, including the Ubuntu Transformation Foundation, SABC, and Arena Holdings, are rallying behind the President’s call to mobilise men as partners in the fight against GBV and femicide. The collective recently launched a campaign to get one million men to sign a pledge against GBVF (gender-based violence and femicide). Signing the pledge to end GBV is one way Futshane hopes to galvanise men into action. “Men who stand against GBV are often stigmatised, labelled as weak or controlled by women. They are castigated, referred to as ‘wimps’ or ‘simps’,” he notes. “The pledge helps create solidarity among men, showing that opposing violence is not a sign of weakness, but a mark of strength and integrity. It is crucial that a critical number of men join the fight to change this narrative and eliminate this stigmatisation.”

Futshane emphasises the need to challenge the toxic belief systems that see women, children, and LGBTQI+ individuals as subordinate to men. “These values foster a sense of entitlement over the bodies and lives of others,” he explains. “They are at the root of GBV, and it is men who must dismantle them.” Toxic masculinity, Futshane explains, perpetuates GBV by equating manhood with violence and dominance. “Traditional values portray men as superior to others and encourage the use of violence as a means of conflict resolution or asserting authority. This needs to change.” In order to break this cycle, Futshane calls for a shift towards progressive, non-violent values. “We need to reimagine leadership as grounded in respect, equality, and collaboration, rather than coercion and force,” he asserts.

At the opening of this year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the Minister of Social Development, Ms Sisisi Tolashe, echoed Futshane’s sentiments, emphasising the urgent need to break the silence surrounding GBV. “Silence and stigma perpetuate violence,” the Minister stated. “When survivors are silenced by shame or fear, the cycle continues unchecked. We need a society where survivors are supported, not judged, and where perpetrators are held accountable.” Futshane believes that collective action is crucial. “This notion of weakness for men who fight or stand in solidarity against GBVF makes it difficult for many men because most of those who want to fight choose silence and ambivalence in order not to be seen as weak. That needs to change.”

One solution he champions is the creation of Men’s Forums, where men and boys can engage in meaningful discussions to reframe patriarchal norms that are at the root of men’s behaviour when it comes to GBVF. “These spaces allow men to mentor boys, teaching them values of respect, equality, and non-violence. It’s about raising a new generation of men who reject toxic masculinity.”

Active involvement by men sends a clear message, stresses Futshane. His message is simple—men must work together to end GBV, and one way to overcome this, he adds, is through signing the pledge against GBVF. “A pledge has the equivalent effect of joint mass action. When men take a stand against GBV, they challenge the behaviour of their peers and demonstrate that it is a shared responsibility to create a safe society for all.”

He concluded by emphasising that when men do not participate in the fight against this scourge, or cast themselves as victims and distance themselves from accountability, they perpetuate the idea that GBV is a women’s issue. “When men don’t actively participate, then GBVF becomes a problem for women and members of the LGBTQI+ community to solve. When men themselves are actively involved, that narrative is defeated, and men will understand that GBVF is dependent on them to be resolved and stopped.”

Sign the pledge: https://www.firesideconvos.co.za/1512-2/