Tell me about the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund.
In August 2018 South Africans united under the Total Shutdown Movement to take action against the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which eventually led to the Presidential GBV Summit in November 2019.
In response to this, the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF was launched on April 30 2020, aiming to co-ordinate and improve the response to gender-based violence and femicide.
The Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund was established in February 2021 to act as a catalyst, a trusted partner, an amplifier and a convener of stakeholders from all sectors.
Its primary purpose is to accelerate action against GBVF, reaffirming the country's commitment to address the issue effectively. The fund's goal is to create a South Africa free from gender-based violence and femicide directed at women, children, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
What does your job as CEO entail?
My responsibilities include providing the organisation with strategic leadership to ensure its goals are aligned with its mission. I oversee the establishment and functioning of key structures, such as a functional board and a disbursement committee, to guide the fund's strategic priorities.
Additionally, I focus on building capacity within the organisation by appointing a competent secretariat.
What are the biggest challenges facing the response fund?
The biggest challenge is to arrest the scourge of GBVF in the country by co-ordinating a multisectoral response. We need to get everybody who is trying to stop GBVF [to pull] together to maximise effectiveness.
What can individuals do to address GBVF?
It’s actually very simple: ending GBVF starts with you and me. We cannot ignore violence against each other of any kind. When we see violence occurring, we must stop and help. If we go back to our value systems enshrined in ubuntu, we will get rid of GBVF.
What do you think makes you good at what you do?
It is difficult to say. My education and years of experience make up 75% of who I am, and why I’m good at what I do; the other 25% is the passion and purpose I strongly believe is the fuel behind my decisions and work.
I am passionate about empowering communities and individuals to address the horror of GBVF and create a safer, more inclusive society.
I was once introduced as a trisector leader, and it has stuck with me. I have worked in government, civil society organisations and corporates — those are the three spheres that you need to drive successful public-private partnerships that realise change and impact.
With more than 20 years of experience and my attitude to lifelong learning, I think that helps to make me good at what I do. I also like to think I have an ability to navigate and overcome challenges, something that’s essential in advancing the fund's objectives.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
To be honest, I wanted to be a public servant at the highest decision-making level. I questioned why we were poor and the disparities between the haves and have-nots.
I was born to a single parent who had me when she was a teenager, so invariably we struggled, and I wanted to work in government and change the life of millions of people who grew up with little, like I did.
I tell my children that I will end my career as a government official, a minister of education or women, who knows?
What is your go-to career advice?
Education has the power to unlock doors and opportunities you cannot imagine; you are never too old to learn. Keep an open mind and learn the art of working with diversity, complexity and ambiguity, and build bridges always.
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