Award-winning actress Shoki Mmola has called on employers and organisations across South Africa to create safer environments where survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) can speak out and access help without fear.
Mmola delivered the keynote address at the Motor Industry Staff Association’s (MISA) inaugural Awake for Awareness event, an initiative focused on confronting the country’s ongoing GBV crisis, which government has confirmed is a national disaster.
During her address, Mmola shared personal reflections from her past marriage to actor Sello Sebotsane, emphasizing that abuse can affect anyone, regardless of their achievements or confidence.
“I never imagined that I would one day be here sharing this kind of story,” she said. “We must challenge the beliefs that keep people silent. Silence isolates survivors and protects abusers.”
Mmola said societal pressures and harmful cultural expectations often discourage women from leaving unsafe relationships, urging communities to reject norms that enable abuse.
She further stressed that survivors deserve support rather than judgement, adding that speaking out is an important step toward healing and accountability.
Earlier this year, the Saturday Star reported that Sebotsane publicly apologised to Mmola and their daughters in a widely viewed video where he acknowledged wrongdoing and encouraged men to seek help to break violent behaviour patterns.
MISA’s leadership used the event to reaffirm its commitment to holding government accountable for its pledge, made on the G20 stage, to respond to GBV and femicide with the urgency of a national disaster.
MISA Chief Executive of Operations Martlé Keyter said the union would continue campaigning for safer communities and workplaces.
“One life lost is one too many. Gender-based violence and femicide remain the worst cancer in our society,” Keyter said. “As a country with one of the highest femicide rates in the world, we cannot allow this issue to be reduced to lip service.”
Keyter added that protecting workers’ rights includes ensuring safety from abuse both at home and in the workplace.
Mmola has pledged her continued support for MISA’s awareness and advocacy work, saying that collective action from every sector is essential to ending the violence.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star