Dennis Pather writes that too many men in our country refuse to rise above their deeply ingrained caveman instincts and prejudices.
If I told you South Africans were a racist, corrupt and misogynous lot, you'd probably retort that's far too wide a generalisation. And you’re right.
After all, not all South Africans are racists. There are many out there who do try hard to shed their historical prejudices and genuinely want the country to transform into the promised rainbow nation.
And, I suppose, it's equally wrong to tar all South Africans with the brush of corruption just because some politicians in high office and sleazy tenderpreneurs with political connections have cracked open the cabinet and got their grubby fingers inside the cookie jar.
When it comes to gender inequality, however, the generalisation about misogyny remains valid.
South Africa is still home to unacceptably high levels of violence against its women and children. If newspaper reports over the past week are anything to go by, the crisis is worsening by the day.
And that it is simply because too many men in our country refuse to rise above their deeply ingrained caveman instincts and prejudices that belong to a pre-historic era.
A change of mindset is needed
They certainly know how to talk the talk. They never stop bragging about how we slew the dragon of apartheid and how our liberation leaders collectively scripted our new progressive constitution that is now the envy of the world.
They boast about the slew of forward-thinking laws on our statutes and the many Section 9 forums established to protect our constitutional democracy and build our country into a model nation.
Where they fall flat is when it comes to walking the talk.
What’s going to win this war against violence against women and children in our country is a change in mindset.
In the same way we declared war on racism - by adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards people who refer to others in derogatory terms or send racially offensive posts on social media - we must commit ourselves to challenging those who perpetrate violence against women in our country.
If we can stand up and say “enough is enough” in our campaigns against the evils of racism and corruption, we must be just as passionate in our fight against gender inequality.
The Sunday Independent