The Office of the Premier coordinates efforts to strengthen gender machinery across KZN.
Image: File
Despite overall provincial success, three KwaZulu-Natal districts—uMzinyathi, uMgungundlovu, and Zululand—have been singled out for lacking functional District gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) forums, raising concerns, especially given the importance of these structures in high-case areas.
The Office of the Premier coordinates the Provincial Gender Machinery, a functional forum encompassing all departments, municipalities, civil society, and Chapter 09 institutions. This body ensures collaborative progression, accountability, coordination, and oversight of GBVF interventions across the province, with municipalities leading local-level convening. Led by the Office of the Premier, KZN’s Provincial Gender Machinery is recognised as a top functional structure for addressing GBVF. The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities uses KZN as a benchmark for sustaining effective GBVF platforms.
The office said that a functional gender machinery in a municipality is important for promoting gender equality, ensuring inclusive governance, and improving the quality of life, further reducing the scourge of GBVF. Here, GBVF forums are led by the Gender Focal Person. Of 11 functional districts, only three (uMzinyathi, uMgungundlovu, and Zululand) have non-functioning gender forums. The office has engaged with these districts to revitalise the structures.
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said the province is active in championing a programme against GBVF.
“We are being more pragmatic in our approach. On the ground, there are programmes by departments and even by our office,” Ntuli said.
“I’ve been to uMzinyathi recently engaging the men, to say that as they are the perpetrators, what role can they play in discouraging the violence and even breaking the silence.”
Ntuli expressed confidence regarding the forums that are supposed to be at district levels; however, they have cited three districts (uMgungundlovu, uMzinyathi and Zululand), which do not have forums.
“When you look at the number of GBVF cases in those municipalities, it is important that they have a viable forum,” Ntuli said.
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli addresses the importance of functional GBVF forums in combating gender-based violence.
Image: Supplied
UMgungundlovu District Municipality mayor Mzi Zuma said they have done a lot of work and can account for their programmatic responses to GBVF but said a dedicated structure was needed.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za