During his inauguration as SA’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela urged us all to act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. He said: “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.” 

Today, as we reflect on the legacy of the father of our nation, it is important to realise that the struggle to end gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) is far from won and the damage being done to society, economies and communities is getting more severe by the day. GBVF is unravelling the hopes and dreams we had as a nation when Madiba first walked free and set us on a path to freedom.  ..