Ledgers of femicide: Why SA men think they’re the exception
Many South African men insist they’re ‘fine’ while seven women in the country are killed daily. But personal exceptions cannot erase the evidence: femicide demands an honest audit of masculinity, complicity — and silence, too.
In South Africa, seven women are killed daily due to femicide, yet many men insist they are 'fine' and do not contribute to the problem. Themba Dlamini, a husband, father of four, pastor, and chartered accountant, argues that personal exceptions cannot erase the evidence of the country's femicide rate. Every man interviewed on a radio station had grown up without a father and claimed they turned out fine.
The presenter stopped taking names after the third caller from Soweto, who shared the same experience. This pattern of self-assessment is common, as seen in performance reviews where employees rate themselves higher than their actual contributions. However, the audited statements reveal a different reality. South Africa's murder rate is six to seven times the global average, with seven women killed daily, mostly by intimate partners.
The men on the radio station may be functioning well, but they cannot use their personal success to negate the national femicide study. Building a nation on exceptions is not a valid solution, as it fails to address the underlying issues.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
