#Fundthefight: End GBV

Dear Supporters, 

So much has happened since our last newsletter. Spring has supposedly sprung and Women’s Month and Heritage Month are officially behind us. In team related news, we wanted to share that Sarah Reddy has concluded her journey as our intern and will be pursuing her law articles in Cape Town. We wish her all the best in her next adventure.

During the month of August, we remembered the anniversary of #TheTotalShutdown march, which spawned the path to the creation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Since then, under the project management of Wise 4 Afrika, we have published an infographic representation of the NSP. Additionally, we welcome a new a member of the team, Thubelihle Khanyisile Mtshali!

Fixing The Country Requiring corporations to act in a manner consistent with the NSP on GBVH

In the month of August, South Africa’s entertainment industry became the topic of interest when recordings of Mohale Motaung, the now estranged husband to Somizi Mhlongo, came to the public domain. In the recordings, Mohale can be heard detailing the abuse he alleges suffering at the hands of Somizi. In response to the news of these assertions, we wrote to MetroFM and Idols SA to consider acting in a manner consistent with the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide by assuming a strong tone against violence when engaging the news of the intimate partner violence Mohale described. While we didn’t receive immediate communication from either entity, it was announced not long after that Somizi Mhlongo would be leaving the radio station and TV show respectively. In addition to writing to the organizations he worked for, we called on LGBTQIAP+ activist, event curator, and writer, Tutu Zondo to better explain what the Motaung vs Mhlongo matter means in context of the LGBTQIAP+ community via Wise News.

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Meet Thubelihle Mtshali

Thubelihle Khanyisile Mtshali holds an LLB degree which she obtained from the University of Zululand. After obtaining her degree, she went on to serve her articles under the tutelage of Luyolo Poswa, Chairman and Director of Poswa Incorporated, a law firm based in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
 
During her articles, she focused her development as a legal advisor specializing in Corporate Law and Banking and Finance. While serving her articles, she was selected to serve as part of a legal team tasked with providing legal support to the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) during the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of impropriety against the PIC, was tasked to assist in a legal Due Diligence for a large coal and heavy minerals mining company into the target company, assisted a Broad-Based Black Economic (“B-BBEE”) Investment, Investor Relations and Corporate Advisory Company in the drafting and execution of its sale of 30% equity in a Logistics Company to a BEE partner. Where her role in this transaction was to initiate the draft of the Shareholders Agreement (C-class Preference Shares), Sale of Shares, Board Resolutions, Consent Agreement and Memorandum of Incorporation. Thubelihle was also tasked with research and advising to Trustees of a JSE listed energy and chemical company on whether their B-BBEE Trust Deed was compliant with the B-BBEE Act and assisting in the drafting of various Capacity and Authority Opinions for the Development Bank of South Africa. These events serve as testament to the confidence her supervisors had in her capabilities as a young developing attorney in training.
 
Since then, Thubelihle has set out to establish her own Legal Advisory Firm and has done work with other legal organisations such as Lawyers for Human Rights and The Wise Collective to serve her community and voiceless. She also continues to work on Corporate and Commercial legal matters for her growing number of clients.

Shaping The Culture & Raising AwarenessPopularizing the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide

What good is legislation if it is not understood or applied. One of the first demands was for a Summit on Gender Based Violence and Femicide which was held November 1-2, 2018 where an agreement to  install an Interim Steering Committee (ISC) on GBVF charged with the drafting of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) was solidified.  Since then the NSP has been adopted by cabinet, but like most government policy and strategic documents, it’s not necessarily reader friendly and/or accessible to all. As such, under the project management of Wise 4 Afrika, the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide has been visually illustrated using infographics.

We hope that these will also be translated and made available in other languages; if your organization is interesting in adapting and/or reprinting these, please feel free to do so. You may also contact us at admin@wise4afrika.org for graphic files. 

View infographics