PHOTO: JE'NINE MAY www.news.uct.ac.za
“What is happening? Our families are nurturing murderers and rapists, it is in our families. What is it which has gone so wrong?” These rhetorical but necessary questions were posed by Graca Machel while addressing a crowd of students at the University of Cape Town during a memorial service for slain student Uyinene Mrwetyana.
Social media is flooded with comments on the series of violent murders of women and children in our country.
Hashtags like #NoToWomenAbuse #AmINext and #EnoughisEnough skyrocketed after South Africa learned of the murder of the student which quickly followed by news of a series of violent murders of women and children.
Must read: How #MeToo and #AmInext will impact parenting in 2019
Read in the series of Instagram posts below how parents expressed their anger, fear and disbelief:
Loren of Life of Loren & Lottie
View this post on Instagram
Each day i find myself holding her just a little bit tighter..not just because i love her but because i fear for her ?? . . . My daughter..my bright, beautiful, strong, brave, carefree and spirited daughter..like a wild bird we keep you trapped behind the bars of your own home. We clip your wings so that you don’t fly to far. We silence your song that you may go unnoticed. Why do we do this little bird? Surely we should allow you to soar? But you see little bird, little daughter, little woman..it is not safe for you to raise high into the sky, to flap your iridescent wings into the gleaming sun light. Instead you are caged by fear and the fears of a flock of mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts and sisters who cower with you in the dark shadows. We try to shield your eyes, we try to shield your heart but the feathers they still fall..all around us like a blanket of soft, white snow..the feathers fall. Brutally plucked from our exposed bodies, our wings broken, our bones snapped, our calls strangled..violated, tortured and discarded. We turn away, it’s to painful to whiteness..until we too are struck from the sky and all that remains is a flurry of feathers lost on a forgotten breeze..once of a little bird, of a little woman . . . ?? @maddiejanephotography
A post shared by Life of Loren & Lottie (@her.scattered.petals) on Sep 3, 2019 at 7:30am PDT
Kwanele of Xhosa Mom Unplugged Lana of Pretty Brave Mom Blog Thando of Modern Zulu Mom blog Also read: IN PICTURES: South African women and children have had enough
Tamryn-Ann of Confessions of a Guilty Mom blog Jules of Heart Mama blog Laura of Harassed Mom blog
Also read: Rachel Kolisi celebrates her son’s birthday with a powerful message on raising men in SA
Other parents said:
Parents from all walks of life shared via Instagram in solidarity with the movements and protests happening across the country.
Rameez
Rellabear
View this post on Instagram
#dearmrpresident I woke up this morning,with my daughter by my side. I was so grateful to be able to do this but then reality hit and the fear of being away from her all day and no way of protecting her sunk in. Is she next? Am I next? Is my mom next?My sister,my cousins,my neices,my friends are they next? The girl walking to school alone is she next? The lady selling sweets,fatcakes and coffee at 5AM every morning, is she next?? Mr President, Sir they are killing us:(We are not safe anymore, these streets are not safe anymore, Our homes are not safe anymore. *Our country is not safe for us anymore* #AmInext #EnoughisEnough #Stopkillingus
A post shared by Cherelle Charles (@rellabear) on Sep 4, 2019 at 10:46pm PDT
Shannon
South African celebrity parents were not mum as they shared their support on Instagram. Rugby wife Rachel Kolisi celebrated her son's birthday by sharing her take on raising men in South Africa.
Rachel Kolisi
Listen to what Kay Sibiya who had just welcomed his first child with girlfriend Judie Kama had to say about the violence in the video below:
Kay Sibiya
Listen to Graca Machel's whole speech below:
Chat back: Share your story with us , and we could publish your mail. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.