Tackling GBV through educating boys
JOHANNESBURG - As South Africa marks Youth Day, we turn our focus to one of the most urgent challenges facing our society, gender-based violence.
Experts are increasingly calling for stronger prevention efforts that start early, particularly with boys and young men.
One organisation leading this shift is Sonke Gender Justice, which has created safe spaces for young men to reflect on masculinity, relationships, and power, encouraging them to be part of the solution.
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Daily Maverick
29-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
‘Continue Kenny's good work' — McKenzie appoints PA's Liam Jacobs to replace Kunene
It's been just more than a month since former MP Liam Jacobs resigned from the DA to join the Patriotic Alliance. Now, he's back in a leading role as a City of Johannesburg councillor. Liam Jacobs is the new councillor for the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the City of Johannesburg, PA president Gayton McKenzie announced on Monday evening, 28 July, during an address to party supporters. Jacobs replaced the party's deputy president, Kenny Kunene, who resigned last week after being found at the Sandton house of murder accused Katiso 'KT' Molefe when police were there to arrest Molefe. 'The party is deploying Liam Jacobs as the new councillor in the City of Johannesburg,' said McKenzie. He said Jacobs needed local government experience. The former DA MP was announced as the PA's mayoral candidate in Tshwane for the 2026 local government elections earlier in July. 'You're about to fix the potholes of Joburg. So you can know what is expected of you when you run Pretoria,' said McKenzie. While Jacobs will fill Kunene's council seat, it's unclear whether he will take over Kunene's role as mayoral committee member (MMC) for transport. Kunene made headlines after he was found at the home of Molefe, who was arrested in connection with the killing of Oupa Sefoka, popularly known as DJ Sumbody, in a 2022 drive-by shooting in Woodmead, Johannesburg. Sefoka died alongside his bodyguard after the vehicle they were travelling in was peppered with bullets. As Daily Maverick reported, Kunene claimed he was not friends with Molefe, but had visited the Sandton house in his capacity as the owner of online publication African News Global. He had gone there with an unnamed individual who had arranged for Kunene's media company to conduct an exclusive interview with Molefe. During his address to his supporters, McKenzie also said Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero would appoint a new MMC to replace Kunene. As Daily Maverick reported, in addition to Kunene's position needing replacing, Morero needs to appoint a new MMC for finance, since Margaret Arnolds has shifted to the role of council Speaker. From Parliament to Joburg Jacobs joins the PA's 10-seat caucus. Following the 2021 municipal elections, the PA received 2.93% of the vote in Johannesburg, enough for eight seats in the council. The party has since gained two more ward seats. In March 2025, when the PA won its 10th seat in a by-election, elections analyst Wayne Sussman wrote: 'The PA is the only party to win new seats in by-elections in Johannesburg since 2021.' This will be Jacobs's first leadership role since joining the PA during a midnight announcement on Youth Day. Before joining the PA he had been a member of the DA and head of the party's students' organisation at university. McKenzie said he expects Jacobs to 'continue the good work the DP [Kunene] has been doing'. In 2024, he was sworn in as an MP and sat on the oversight committee on sports, arts and culture, of which McKenzie was the minister. Jacobs had been a critic of McKenzie's department, often posting on social media about various alleged failures in the department and its entities. Jacobs also used social media to showcase himself, posing questions to officials, which built his profile among supporters as a rising politician who kept officials on their toes. Critics viewed his online presence and style of questioning as brash. When Jacobs left the DA, another rising star in the party, deputy federal chairperson and campaign manager Ashor Sarupen told EWN that Jacobs had made a 'huge mistake' and that 'he'll come to regret it'. Since his departure Jacobs has been working within the PA doing by-election work, using the same kind of social media blitz. This is something he will bring to the party's Johannesburg caucus in the hope of solidifying more support for the party in the lead-up to the 2026 elections. Jacobs was not immediately available for comment. But he posted on X: Pointing out problems is easy. Fixing the problem is the real work. Let's get to the REAL work! 🕳️ Salute 💚🙏 — Liam Jacobs (@LiamJacobsZA) July 29, 2025 PA deputy position vacant Addressing internal matters – and social media rumours of Jacobs replacing Kunene as deputy president – McKenzie said: 'Liam is not the DP (deputy president) of the PA.' McKenzie claimed this was gossip coming from outside the PA. 'For as long as the result of the deputy president (Kunene) is not out yet, we will not have a DP,' said McKenzie. According to McKenzie, the party will, within about 48 hours, announce a legal firm that will investigate the circumstances of Kunene's presence at Molefe's house. Among the issues the firm would probe was locating the journalist who reportedly accompanied Kunene and how Kunene was able to get Molefe's address. Kunene remains under a 30-day suspension from party activities. McKenzie, who is best friends with Kunene (they are godparents to each other's children), said this was done to show transparency. He claimed information would come out to show 'the DP was set up', but that the party needed to investigate what happened. DM
IOL News
03-07-2025
- IOL News
The ongoing struggle of South Africa's youth: Beyond Youth Month
Youth Month may have ended, but the reality facing young South Africans has not changed with the turning of a calendar page. This is not a June issue. This is a July issue, an August issue, and an every-month issue until change comes. I was born on Youth Day. Not just into a date, but into a mission. For most people June 16 is a symbol. For me, it has been a summons. A daily reminder of what it means to inherit a nation still searching for its soul, and what it means to carry forward a legacy written in both blood and possibility. At 26 years old, I was elected one of the youngest councillors in South Africa. I was often referred to as a youth leader, but the title came with more weight than celebration. In my community, a councillor is not just a representative – he is the father, the fire extinguisher, the provider, the undertaker. I buried the young dead, negotiated with the government, calmed burning streets, and stood in courtrooms where hope had long since withered. The role forced me to grow up fast. My youth was different from that of others – it was something I endured while carrying the burdens of others. Now, at 33, I find myself looking back and forward all at once. I am still called 'young', but how does a 33-year-old, forged by duty, truly relate to an 18-year-old who is trying to find their place in a country where the rules keep changing, the jobs keep disappearing, and the violence keeps knocking at the door? But I have learned that being young is not the same as being new. And what South Africa needs today are not just youthful faces, but new voices rooted in community, disciplined by purpose, and shaped not by entitlement. Youth in South Africa are not just 'challenged' – they are bleeding: economically, mentally, and spiritually. Unemployment among youth (ages 15–34) is a staggering 46.1%. Among those aged 15–24, it is over 60%. That is not a statistic; it is a quiet war. Let me be clear: I have met many hardworking young people who want nothing more than a chance. But there is also a growing culture, which we must confront, of expectation without preparation. We speak of the 'born-free' generation as though the end of apartheid was the end of our youth were born into a freedom that often feels like fiction. I have stood with and fought for them. Like some, I too live with a disability. In 2022, I was violently attacked and left with permanent damage to my dominant hand. I can no longer use my hand or fingers fully. I feel very little in that hand. But I have learned to adapt – to create artwork for the first time, to appear in court again. I sometimes choose to wear a gold glove on that hand, not to hide it, but to remind myself that even pain can shine when purpose leads the way. Too many youth enter politics thinking it is a job. Too many youth think activism is a career. It is neither. Politics, at its core, is service. Activism is sacrifice. If you are not prepared to fight when there is no crowd, to serve when there is no salary, to speak when no one is listening, then you are not ready to lead. What we need now are young leaders who are not chasing perks but principles. Leaders who are not loyal to factions or hashtags, but to people and their pain. I recently met young people who gather at the BAT Centre in Durban. They meet every week – sharing poetry, art, music – and they do so without expectation. Just for the cause. Just for community. I was humbled by them. They remind me that we are not without hope. We are simply without investment in the right places. I want to reflect on three people – among many – who are advocating for youth. Clive Pillay, who has spent decades building young leaders at the Nelson Mandela Community Youth Centre in Chatsworth. Ravi Pillay, who creates platforms for youth to be heard – not just spoken to – by those in power. And Kiru Naidoo, who documents the untold stories of our communities so that young people may know who they are and what they survived. Three different paths, but with one mission: to uplift. We each have a role. So what now? First, let us reimagine how we define 'youth.' Not merely by age, but by contribution, courage, and creativity. Second, let us build spaces where youth can be more than passive recipients, but actual architects of the future. Third, we must demand more – from our youth and for our youth. There can be no revival of this country without their full, fearless, and honest inclusion. Finally, we must listen – truly listen – to our young. Not to pacify them, but to understand what they are trying to say: 'This country belongs to us too. Let us shape it. Now that Youth Month has passed, let us not reduce our young people's future to hashtags and forgotten speeches. There are young leaders already among us. Let us build that country together. Not later. Now. Previn Vedan is a lawyer, human rights advocate and activist based in Durban *The opinions expressed in this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. DAILY NEWS
The Herald
23-06-2025
- The Herald
Malema vows to build houses for families of KZN bus crash victims
EFF leader Julius Malema has committed to building houses and boreholes for the families of 10 party members who died in a bus crash last week while returning from a Youth Day rally in Durban. Malema addressed the mass funeral service in Vryheid on Sunday. 'We are going to honour these 10 fallen heroes, each one of them with a house that has all the facilities,' he said. 'If there's no water in those yards, we'll make sure we put [in] boreholes so we restore the dignity of those families. We will build those houses and put [in] those boreholes because we want to build a permanent relationship with these families. We don't want to forget you and don't forget us.' He assured the families they are not alone. 'Your loss is our loss. Your tears are our tears. Your children are not forgotten. The EFF will walk with you, we will support you and we will continue to fight in their name. 'As the EFF, we say their death must not be in vain. Their passing must become a turning point. We must honour them not only with flowers and words but with action. We must fix our roads, regulate the transport industry and demand accountability.' The accident happened on June 17 when the group was returning from the rally. A bus carrying EFF supporters collided with a truck on the R34 near Vryheid. Malema described the members who died as 'soldiers', drawing a parallel to the youth of 1976 who died for freedom. 'These are not just names in headlines or numbers in a report. These were young people who had dreams. They were full of life, full of promise and full of courage that defines the children of working-class and oppressed families. They died while in pursuit of life. They were travelling with hope in their hearts, but the journey that should've taken them towards opportunity ended in tragedy.' He said their parents should be proud that their children did not die from drug or alcohol abuse but on the 'battlefield'. 'Your children are soldiers; they are martyrs and the names of your children will be called when the names of the martyrs are called. Be proud that your children have inspired many generations to come.' TimesLIVE
