SILENCE means consent, so suggest an English idiom. But not so for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University students who taped shut their mouths and demonstrated against sexual violence recently.
The student community was adding its voice to the fight against one of the social ills currently threatening to bring the country to its knees as political leaders and law enforcement agencies are struggling to fully contain it.
A demonstration supported by the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development and Special Programmes and the Eastern Cape Gambling and betting board saw more than a 100 students marching from the NMMU’s 2nd Avenue Campus, through the North Campus to the South Campus, calling for all stakeholders to take a stand against all forms of gender based violence.
Be the Youth, an organisation formed by students of NMMU organised the silent protest, taking a concept which originates from Rhodes University. “Though we have not experienced so many cases of sexual violence within the university, we saw it fitting to add our voice to this campaign. We do not have to wait until something happens,” said one of the organisers Yanga Qomisa.Qomisa said the event with the theme; “ Now you talking” was aimed at calling for improvements in the university’s sexual harassment policy while creating awareness and showing solidarity with rape survivors who have been silenced by it.
The demonstration comes weeks after the department hosted a two day Gender Based Violence Confrence which called for joint action against the scourge. Addressing the young men and women who took part in the march, Manager for Special Programmes within the department, Nontobeko Dunjana encouraged the participants to take their power back. “The mobilisation of young people is very important to ensure that tomorrow is better than today. Continue to add your voice in the discussions that happening on social issues that affect you and the communities we live it. In that way you will be shaping your tomorrow today” she said.
Poet Lelethu also known as Poetic Soul rendered a moving item telling the story of how her sister was brutally raped and murdered in an act that is known by its perpetrators as corrective rape. While reigning beauty queen of NMMU, Chumisa Ndlazi called for South Africa to redefine the concept of women empowerment. She suggests that women empowerment or the lack thereof has a bearing on the fact that one out of 36 women who are sexually abused get to report their cases to the authorities. She called for women to take their place in the society and act against gender based violence.
Qomisa said they hope to make this an annual event and growing its support within the NMMU community and the broader Metro.
