South African men — world champions in violence and the murder of women, says Catholic bishop Sithembele Sipuka

11 Sep 2022

Catholic bishop Sithembele Sipuka says gender-based violence should be called what it is: femicide. And it’s action — not summits or slogans — that will help bring an end to the endemic abuse and murder of South Africa’s women.

Women’s Month, August, has come and gone. In August, the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide receives prominent attention. Then it all goes quiet — unless, of course, another woman is raped or murdered.

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, the Catholic bishop of Mthatha and president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, warns that fighting this scourge must be seen as “a long agenda for our country because it is endemic, and it will not end just by talking”.

“While August was initially meant for the upliftment of women, it has practically turned into a month of bewailing violence against women because of the ever-increasing rate of violation of women and femicide,” the bishop wrote in a letter to his diocese in August 2021.

A year later, Bishop Sipuka, reflecting on the continuing horrific crimes committed against women, says we should call gender-based violence what it is: “Women’s violent abuse and murder.”

He goes on to use more robust language. “I insist on the correct naming of what is going on, violence against women and femicide, instead of gender-based violence.”

Sipuka says: “These murders are gruesome and heartless, with some committed in August as if to intentionally insult the efforts to reduce and stop violence against women.”

South Africa is dealing with persistent violence against women, which is getting more gruesome and worse if one studies the crime statistics, the bishop says. The violence perpetrated against women “has earned us the infamous identity as world champions in violence and murder of women”.

“If you think, for example, about our case here in the Eastern Cape last year, August”, when a young man not only killed his girlfriend but cut her into pieces. Some say that “we in South Africa are cannibals” because of this.

“The term [for] our reality of violence against women in South Africa is femicide,” Sipuka insists.

He says it is concerning that both men and women’s mentality is so slow to change. “In many ways, men continue to dominate women even as they profess egalitarianism, and many women continue to defer to men’s demeaning and abusive attitudes and behaviours toward them.”

He urges women not to keep quiet in the hope that men will change.

A problem for all men to solve

The bishop admits that not all men are violent, but says all men must play a role in raising and educating boys who are loving and caring instead of being “macho”, feeling that they “must prove their manhood by being violent”.

“Violence against women is a complex societal problem,” Sipuka says. Part of the complexity is that many boys grow up without a father figure — many do not even know their father.

Sipuka admits that the Christian scriptures and theology, entrenched in a patriarchal culture, are not helpful: “I am thinking of St Paul, who instructed wives to obey their husbands — even though he also instructed husbands to love their wives and not murder them.”

But because of the widespread nature of violence against women, Sipuka wonders if “people who propagate it have any sense of religiosity; to say nothing about the possibility of being influenced by a theological principle”.

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Speaking specifically of Catholic theology, he says that even “with all its deficiency in affirming the dignity of women, especially in the past, there is no ground in Catholic theology [for] those who perpetrate violence against women and femicide [to] use as justification for their horrendous acts”.

The bishop believes that we cannot ignore that there are psychological and societal pressures that men cannot always deal with. As an example, he points to the inability to handle disappointment in life, such as the end of a meaningful relationship. Being unable to fulfil expected roles, such as being able to earn an income and be a breadwinner, can also lead to feelings of inadequacy that men cannot deal with.

Slogans are not enough

Asked about how this pandemic in South Africa needs to be confronted, Sipuka says action is needed and platitudes and slogans are not enough. Actions alone will make a difference.

“We have had summits on gender-based violence. Revolutionary political speeches on violence against women are constantly being made. Those in authority promise strict laws, and we are not short of television debates on this subject.” And although the government has a ministry for women and children, all this isn’t having much effect, he says.

Sipuka says the government should partner with institutions such as churches and provide them with resources and space to engage with the problem instead of “wanting to do it all alone and fail”.

He believes the police should be “more capacitated to respond” to situations of violence against women and that courts should be set up to deal with this issue immediately.

“The curriculum from the first year of school, Grade R, through to the university level should give prominence to this problem.”

Sipuka encourages Christian men across the board to unite “not only based on denominational identity”. He says there is value in numbers to help men witness together and work to understand themselves as men “rather than being a member of this or that church”.

The bishop believes that the abuse of alcohol is a significant contributing factor to violence against women. “Controls need to be put in place.” He suggests that shebeens should be mandated to “conduct regular mandatory workshops” on gender equality and violence against women as a condition for keeping their licences.

“The endemic nature of this problem requires that we align our programmes and policies over a long period… We need to see more billboards on streets and highways, clear notices in our public places and an unambiguous message in our application of law that [the] violence and murder of women is not tolerated.” DM

Father Russell Pollitt SJ is the director of the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. He entered the Jesuits in 2001 and was ordained in 2006.

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A problem for all men to solve

Slogans are not enough