Mayor Mako joins VUT march against gender-based violence, calls for action
Emfuleni Executive Mayor Hassan Mako has joined students, staff and community leaders at Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in a march against gender-based violence, rape and the killing of women.
Dressed in black and wearing purple ribbons and scarves, participants marched from Desmond Tutu Hall to the campus Amphitheatre, where they held a candle-lighting ceremony, prayer and programme calling for an end to violence against women and girls.
The march came in the wake of the recent killings of women in the east of Gauteng and also honoured 14 former VUT students whose lives were cut short by violence.
Mako said the fight against gender-based violence required more than public statements and symbolic gestures, calling on communities, institutions and leaders to take action.
“Gender-based violence is not something that we can continue to talk about without taking action. We must speak out, support survivors and make sure that our communities do not become silent when violence is normalised,” Mako said.
He said leaders, institutions, families and communities all had a responsibility to create safer communities.
“We cannot allow fear, silence or indifference to become part of our daily lives. Every person has a role to play in creating communities where women and girls are safe and treated with dignity,” he said.
The event was led by VUT’s Director of Student Affairs and attended by the SRC president, university representatives and community leaders.
The 14 former students were remembered during the programme, with their names and stories serving as a painful reminder of the impact of violence on families and communities.
Organisers said the purple ribbons were symbolic, but the message behind them needed to translate into concrete action, including stronger prevention, reporting and support systems.
“We remember. We mourn. We stand together. But above all, we must act until the violence, rape and killings end,” the organisers said.
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