Lobola and misuse of culture
![]() Lobola is the Nguni word for dowry. As a gift for a bride, it originally signalled ubuhlobo (friendship) between the families and confirmed to the bride’s parents that the groom would be able to take care of his bride and subsequent family. However, the original purpose of lobola has been misapprehended, distorted and often manipulated in our modern society.
The misunderstanding and unabashed abuse of lobola has been highlighted in the media with a case of a father who was denied access to his children because he had failed to pay for lobola. After his wife passed away, his sister-in-law requested that the police remove the children from his care to force him to pay her family lobola. It was found that the father was extremely close with his children and therefore his sister-in-law was clearly not acting in the best interests of her nieces. Read more»
Brothers For Life goes International
![]() Do the right thing and be a Brother For Life is now a well known call to action to men not only in South Africa but now also in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This is the tag line of the Brothers For Life campaign that has reached millions of people in South Africa with messages on the prevention of HIV since its inception in August 2009.
This campaign which targets mainly men aged 30 and over seeks to address the risks associated with having multiple and concurrent partnerships, sex and alcohol, gender-based violence and promotes HIV testing, Male involvement in PMTCT and health seeking behaviours in general. Read more»
A call to abolish charges on ON “toll free” helplines by mobile Networks in South Africa
Evidence of ownership and access to Cell phones in South Africa cannot be questioned. Mobileactive, an organization that does research on mobiles for social impact, reports that the number of cell phone subscribers in 2007 was 87%. Subsequent to that, according to AMPS survey conducted in 2009, 70% of South Africans personally own a cell phone.
As part of the national goal to provide universal access to public services, a number of non-profit organizations and civil society partners administer and operate a system known as a toll-free service. The intention is to assist communities to deal effectively with various health and social welfare challenges. Read more»
National Strategic Plans Process
![]() Sonke Sonke recently conducted a review of National HIV and AIDS plans in 16 countries across the world, including many in Africa, in order to assess the extent to which plans acknowledge the importance of engaging men and boys to reduce both women’s and men’s gender related vulnerabilities and of promoting gender transformation, and the degree to which they have planned and outlined specific work to address these issues. What we learned is that in fact very few include specific strategies to engage men and boys. The majority acknowledges the importance of a gender perspective and many commit to mainstreaming gender across all areas of their HIV and AIDS work. However, the majority of the plans focus their prevention strategies on how best to reach women and youth, while men often go unmentioned. Read more»
Men’s Sector Model District in Limpopo Province
![]() Sekhukhune, located in the Limpopo Province, is an area with a long and proud history. It is a land blessed with natural beauty, unusual resource endowments and a compelling history dating back to the 16th century. The Men’s Sector is very active in this area. Recently the district hosted the Brothers for Life Campaign on the 13th of April 2011 under the leadership of comrade Sam Dikotope, who is also the member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the Men’s Sector in Limpopo. The event was attended by 180 men from different communities and was graced by Traditional Leaders and branded with Brothers for Life material. Read more»
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