African manhood is broken - and it's costing women their lives( Urgent Trigger warning!!)
African manhood is broken – and it’s costing women their lives( Urgent Trigger warning!!)
Femicide is surging across the continent. Without cultural reform led by men themselves, more lives will be lost.
Tafi Mhaka
Al Jazeera columnist
Published On 20 Jun 202520 Jun 2025
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Activists chant slogans during the women's protest against gender-based violence and femicide in Pretoria, South Africa, April 11, 2025 [Themba Hadebe/AP Photo]
On May 25, Olorato Mongale, a 30-year-old woman from South Africa, went on a date with a man she had recently met. Less than two hours later, she was dead. Her half-naked body was found by the roadside in Lombardy West, a suburb north of Johannesburg. It showed signs of severe trauma and bruising. Investigators concluded that she had been murdered elsewhere and dumped at the scene. Her brutal and senseless killing led to a wave of grief and outrage on social media. Days later, a family spokesperson revealed that Mongale – a master’s student at the University of the Witwatersrand – had once worked as a journalist. She left the profession seven years ago due to the emotional toll of reporting on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
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In November 2023, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa released the country’s first national study on GBVF. It found that the persistence of gender-based violence is rooted in “deeply ingrained societal norms and structures that perpetuate male dominance and reinforce gender hierarchies … leading to female subordination, systemic inequalities, and violence against women”. The destructive effect of entrenched patriarchy is undeniable. In South Africa, a woman is murdered every three hours. That is approximately 8 women a day. One study estimates that around 7.8 million women in the country have experienced physical or sexual violence. While women of all races and backgrounds are affected, Black women face higher rates of GBVF – an enduring legacy of apartheid and its structural inequalities. This crisis is not unique to South Africa. The terror faced by women and girls is a continent-wide phenomenon.
In November 2024, the United Nations published its report Femicides in 2023: Global Estimates of Intimate Partner/Family Member Femicides, revealing that Africa had the world’s highest rate of partner-related femicide that year.
Kenya stands out for its staggering figures. Between September 2023 and December 2024, the country recorded more than 7,100 cases of sexual and gender-based violence. These included the murders of at least 100 women by male acquaintances, relatives, or intimate partners in just four months. Among the victims was Rebecca Cheptegei, a Ugandan Olympian and mother of two, who competed in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Games. On September 5, 2024, she died in Eldoret, Kenya, from severe burns after her former partner doused her in petrol and set her alight during a domestic dispute. He himself later died in a hospital from his injuries.
The Kenyan government later recognised GBVF as the most pressing security challenge facing the country — a belated but crucial move. On May 26, Kenya’s National Gender and Equality Commission noted that the surge in GBVF crimes was driven by “a complex interplay of cultural, social, economic, and legal factors”. Patriarchal traditions continue to fuel inequality and legitimise violence, while harmful practices such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and dowry-related violence further endanger women’s lives. Economic hardship and women’s financial dependence only deepen their vulnerability. Across the continent, we are witnessing a dangerous resurgence of archaic patriarchal norms.
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There can be no just African future unless African manhood is transformed.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/6/20/african-manhood-is-broken-and-its-costing-women-their-lives
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