SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DEPUTY MINISTER GANIEF HENDRICKS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES THE NATIONAL BOYS PARLIAMENT IN CAPE TOWN

By Sello Tang.

•⁠ ⁠Deputy Minister Hendricks launched the first-ever National Boys Parliament, creating a formal platform for boys to engage on critical social issues such as HIV prevention and gender-based violence.
•⁠ ⁠Sixteen-year-old Abonile Yantolo from the Western Cape emphasised the importance of including boys in national decision-making and policy processes affecting their development.
•⁠ ⁠Participants raised urgent concerns about unsafe initiation practices and called for recognition of boys’ voices in addressing harmful traditions and social pressures.

The National Boys Parliament was officially inaugurated at the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape from 18 to 19 October 2025. This initiative was established to provide boys throughout the country with a platform to address issues that directly impact them, particularly those related to HIV prevention, gender-based violence, and femicide (GBVF).
In his address, the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr Ganief Hendricks, emphasised the importance of embracing opportunities provided by platforms such as the one being launched, noting that such avenues were unavailable during his youth under apartheid.
“I would want to describe this as a very special occasion. It reminds me of the time when I was a boy-child, when many of us did not have the chances that you have today. During that period of my youth we did not enjoy the opportunities that you have today. You and many across our country have the chance to fully participate in platforms such as the one that we are launching here,” said the Deputy Minister, Mr Hendricks.
Abonile Yantolo (16), the Western Cape Chairperson for Sport Stepping Stones (SSS), emphasized the significance of including boys in youth empowerment initiatives within the country. He expressed appreciation for the Department of Social Development and the Men’s Sector Forum for establishing inclusive platforms that enable boys to actively participate in national dialogues and decision-making processes.
Abonile is one of the participants at the launch of the National Boys Parliament, currently held at the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape.
“I am happy that the Department of Social Development and the Men’s Sector Forum have established this Boys Parliament, it will assist us to be included in the law-making processes of the country about a boy child’s needs and interests,” says Abonile.
He further reflected on the heartbreaking reality that the boys were going through and suffering in their silence.
“Here in the Western Cape and in many parts of our country, boys are forced to honour and attend the initiation schools against their will. Sadly, no one is prepared to recognise the silent voices of those boys who are not happy with these traditional rites, which, at times, turn out to be tragic for a boy child. Some even lose their lives due to these botched traditional practices, and exposure to HIV and many other diseases,”
The launch was held under the theme #BetterMan4Tomorrow, a call to action aimed at uplifting and empowering the boy- child.