KZN premier told to apologise for ‘tone-deaf' gender-based violence campaign

Daily Maverick

06-05-2025

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has been instructed to issue a public apology and rework the GBVF campaign after fierce criticism in a province deeply affected by gender-based violence.
What was meant to be a campaign to tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has erupted into a social media storm, with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, led by Premier Thami Ntuli, coming under fire for harmful and tone-deaf messaging, according to gender activists.
In a social media post, which has since been deleted, Ntuli's office had a post which featured an image of a tearful woman with visible bruises and the slogan: 'Asingababulali, Asibathande, Sibaphe imali', which translates to, 'Let us not kill them, let us love them, let us give them money.'
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has urged the KZN government to retract and review its GBVF campaign, issue a public apology and rework it in consultation with relevant stakeholders. (Screengrab: eNCAnews)
Activist Brenda Madumise-Pajibo slammed the campaign, describing the messaging as 'tone-deaf, atrocious, and insensitive', and said it reflected a disturbing lack of understanding about the root causes and realities of gender-based violence.
Furthermore, it reinforced harmful gender stereotypes, she said.
'We have seen that we have used violence to demonstrate that we love people and money has been at the centre of wanting control over women and that's why you have financial abuse from men. Once you send a message like that, you are perpetuating a myth that only men can take care of women and that the only thing that can satisfy women is when they have money, even when that money comes with abuse,' she said.
The campaign comes against the backdrop of KwaZulu-Natal ranking fourth in the country for reported gender-based violence cases. December 2025, in particular, saw a spike in horrific incidents involving women killed by their intimate partners.
In one incident which sent shockwaves through the country, a man identified as Sibusiso Lawrence took to social media to share horrific video footage showing his bloodied girlfriend, stabbed to death. In a short confession, he alleged it was because she had cheated on him.
Tragically, this was not an isolated incident. Several similar cases have emerged in the weeks since.
The disturbing statistics come despite a 2020 declaration by President Cyril Ramaphosa of GBVF as a national pandemic. Following the declaration, the government adopted the GBVF National Strategic Plan. But practical and accountable implementation has slowed to a snail's pace.
Lack of accountability
Despite the lack of progress in tackling the pandemic, activist and chairperson of Hlanganisa Community Fund for Social and Gender Justice Lebogang Ramafoko said the KZN messaging was unacceptable and called for accountability.
'If I was a self-respecting government which is committed to women in this country, to ending GBV, this poster would not have existed and an apology would have been given to women, or at least the humility to sit down with activists to understand why this cannot happen,' she said.
Ramafoko said it was almost as if the government was continuously scoring own goals where GBV was concerned.
Meanwhile, Madumise-Pajibo suggested that the KZN provincial government worked in silos and was not looking at the work done through the national strategic plan on GBV.
The plan offered a comprehensive framework for tackling gender-based violence, with specific guidance on messaging that acknowledged the structural and systemic drivers of the issue, she said.
Both activists criticised the recent campaign for failing to align with the national strategic plan, particularly Pillar 1, which emphasised accountability, coordination and leadership, pointing to a clear lack of strategic engagement. The campaign also disregarded key principles from Pillar 2, which focused on prevention and shifting harmful social norms that perpetuated gender-based violence.
Ntuli told to apologise
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has since instructed the provincial government to retract, review the campaign and issue a formal apology to South Africans.
In a letter directed to Ntuli, Letsike said the messaging was not only sexist, but dangerously reductive as it perpetuated harmful stereotypes about the worth of persons belonging to vulnerable groups being tied to material compensation and failed to address the systemic roots of gender-based violence.
Reducing any person's safety and dignity to a transactional exchange undermined the very purpose of anti-GBVF initiatives. It communicated to perpetrators that abuse could be 'offset' by financial support, and to victims that their pain could be pacified with money.
'This is a gross misrepresentation of the lived realities of survivors and an egregious watering down of the work by countless government actors, activists, civil society organisations and community members who are fighting tirelessly to end GBVF through empowerment, justice and education.
'A government-led GBVF campaign should aim to challenge all iterations of patriarchy and promote gender equality, not reinforce the deeply embedded notions that women are commodities to be controlled, appeased or purchased,' Letsike said.
In March 2025, Premier Ntuli announced that his government would launch an anti-gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide app designed to provide real-time emergency assistance and direct access to critical support services.
According to the premier's spokesperson, Bongani Gina, the app would initially be rolled out to students at higher learning institutions across the province. It would integrate with campus security and other local security networks to ensure comprehensive coverage. The app would allow users to send distress signals, access immediate medical and legal support and alert security personnel in the event of an emergency, EWN reported.