On Wednesday, 7 May 2025, a Gender Based Violence awareness screening took place at the Neelsie Cinema, at Stellenbosch University (SU). This was an event hosted by the Student Representative Council (SRC) in collaboration with the SU Women and Queer Empowerment (WAQE) and the United Nations of South Africa Stellenbosch (UNASA).
With the recent events that allegedly occurred, Lihle Baleka, the WAQE chairperson and BCom Sustainable Development student emphasized, “We condemn both the actions in questions and the learner in which they have been handled.” Lihle clarified that this event was not organized as a reaction to the alleged GBV incident. “The scorch of GBV did not happen last week,” Lihle added. “This event was more than raising awareness, […] as well as holding those in power accountable, as GBV has no place in our university or anywhere else.”
The featured documentary, Alison, highlighted how the victim, Alison survived brutal sexual violence and chose to live empowered, not broken. Baleka explained the film was chosen to show how uncomfortable GBV is and how it should not become normalized. This screening was part of a broader effort to use awareness to bring about meaningful change, according to Baleka.
The guest speaker, Azinani Misamhle Henene, a first-year Bachelor of Theology (Youth Work) student continued the talk on GBV. She is a model and a pageantry queen. She stated that she uses her voice and her platform to consciously amplify not just her voice, but the voice of those who are unheard. Henene added, “Gender Based Violence [silence] is a silence that suffocates.”
Brandall Swartz, a second-year BA (International Studies) student, stated that he attended this screening because it is a project by WAQE, a division of the SRC. He added, “When it comes to GBV or anything that puts a negative spotlight on the university, their first response would be to protect their image.” Despite this, he acknowledged that there are useful measures put into place by the university when GBV incidents are recorded, such as faculty constitutions and student constitutions, and there is also a centre for student discipline, student development as well as the Equality Unit.
Paballo Sejaramane, a third- year Bachelor of Data Science student said that this screening helped her understand that there are so many different perspectives when looking at GBV, and that watching this documentary gave her hope again when it comes to the justice system of South Africa.
By Amber Steyn
