
SHARE:
I, Fikile Mtsweni, am a former secretary of ward 85 Tsakane. I report back to a branch and zone. In my work, I manage to partner with POWA or TAC on gender issues. Media also helps; I have been participating on EK.fm 103.6 as a board member. I partnered with SAPS on gender issues as well; we planned a 16 days of activism event in 2011. It had some impact, based on research in community hotspots.
In Tsakane, we have a challenge of drug abuse and domestic violence; that’s how we ended up selecting those campaigns. Currently we have 5 cases of rape under investigation. This includes mine, which happened on the 11th of March. I was raped by my partner in front of my 2 years old daughter, and the case is still on.
In terms of the election, I participated in all programmes up until the end of the elections, in part thanks to the education from Gender Links. We had challenges, but I was strong, and stood my ground.
My participation in POWA as a volunteer working with Notyatyambo Makapela. She put me in her programme (raising her Voice) that was launched at the Alexandra radio station. I participated through the whole program series, and now we are busy with further programs whereby we engage women to understand GBV.
I also work with TAC as a branch secretary, where we manage to organise a programme of LGBTIs as mandated by our district. I am supporting the LGBTI community, and now we have a sector on it. We should engage more young women in programmes like that of Gender Links. Women are in need of empowerment, and to achieve this, we all need to work together.
📝Read the emotional article by @nokwe_mnomiya, with a personal plea: 🇿🇦Breaking the cycle of violence!https://t.co/6kPcu2Whwm pic.twitter.com/d60tsBqJwx
— Gender Links (@GenderLinks) December 17, 2024
Comment on Fikile Mtsweni – South Africa