SA as both a country and society needs some counselling from the effects of apartheid. Maybe something like a broad-based truth and reconciliation commission for blacks, whites, Indians, Chinese, coloureds, and San/Khoi needs to happen, beginning with the government and media because that is where the trauma manifests the most.

It is clear that SA is not free, judging by the abnormal way it deals with issues. The now monochromatic gender-based violence (GBV) narratives and misleading projections about women empowerment are only useful for diverting attention from political scandals and the blackmailing and accusing of black males.

Even Father's Day is replaced with GBV marches and campaigns as well as the celebration of "superwomen" who are also supposedly fathers. But the day is to celebrate those men seen as fathers by their children whether the mother or ex-girlfriend thinks so or not.

The day is to honour those men who are appreciated as fathers by those who have a reason to do so. The day is not for bitter women and children whose fathers were or are absent to give praise to Sassa and ridicule every male.

But this happens because of the abnormalities of apartheid in our society where GBV and women empowerment have become a platform for accusing and insulting black men and men in general. Every time unemployment and other statistics are out and paint a grim picture of a morally compromised society with poor governance, the refuge is to shout "GBV" and "patriarchy" so any other reality is muffled.

GBV has become the most effective way to say the reason for unemployment, the high crime rate, state capture, junk status, corruption, lack of service delivery, vaccine distrust, high inflation, floods, etc is because "you black men are abusing all the women and are responsible for GBV".

Khotso K.D Moleko, Warrenville, Mangaung