In May 2020 when the gender based violence was at its peak and the number of women being killed was extremely high and out of control a group of 15 young men from Soweto decided to start an initiative called Soweto Young Men United (SYMU).

According to founding member, Machabe Mofokeng, “As a group of concerned men from Soweto, we wanted to find a solution to this unacceptable problem and try and get to the root cause of the problem.” The group organised bonfire evenings called Thezi Sessions which are hosted once a month for the men of Soweto. It is a chance for the men to gather together and discuss issues faced by the community, specifically gender base violence.

“We are creating a safe space for young men to speak to other men about what their challenges are. Similar to what used to happen in many years ago, elders, grandfathers, fathers, and sons used to gather around the fire giving advice, guidance on the way forward in the community. We are trying to re-ignite this through Thezi sessions,” says Mofokeng.

On the 27th of April, SMYU will for the first time open the evening for women to attend as well. “Women can tell us what they need. Tell us how we can protect them. We feel it is time we include women as part of the discussion so they can tell us how we, the men of the society, can help to keep them safe.”

The session will be entitled “Help us Help ourselves” and will take place at 13:00 on 27 April at the Extreme Park, Pimville Zone 3, Soweto.

Local security provider, Fidelity ADT, will assist with the event, cleaning up the area and keeping participants safe. Senior officers will also attend the session.