HOME Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, pictured , has challenged African society to mould boys into responsible men by teaching them good morals from a young age.

She was speaking on Tuesday in Durban at the 12th African Renaissance, which ends today. Dlamini-Zuma said most of Africa's people are young.

"We sometimes ask ourselves why young (men) are so aggressive and behave in a hostile and violent manner. The answer is that children grow up to give back what the society gave them while they were children," she said.

Dlamini-Zuma said it was important that children were taught to be compassionate and to love one another.

"If you teach children that they don't have to respect women in the house, they will grow up disrespecting women," she said.

"It is expected for a girl to be home early to do domestic work while boys stay out until late, and this is the mentality we need to change for us to raise respectful men."