By Anita Dangazele
Luvuyo Ngxiki learned the hard way that if you stray, you will pay. When he was in high school he started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and then gradually got involved in gangs.
His poor mother, a single parent, sent him to boarding school out of desperation. But sadly, that didn’t help. After leaving school he became a full-on gangster. That landed him in prison for four years.
And, as the 42-year-old former prisoner told the Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s Parliament, launched on Thursday, he decided to turn over a new leaf after his release from jail. He now mentors fatherless young men who, like him, grow up in townships and are prone to a life of crime.
“They need father figures and positive male role models,” Ngxiki said. He encouraged the men present to be such role models to help save youngsters from going wrong the way he did.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s Parliament was an event aimed at gathering men under one roof to discuss strategies for building a better society.
South Africa has the highest number of violent crimes in the world. Most of these crimes, ranging from murder, rape and assault to cause grievous bodily harm, are committed against women and children by men.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s Forum saw it necessary to build a structure where men can talk among themselves.
The inaugural event was hosted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s constituency office. Its political head, councillor Rano Kayser, said the office was happy to host men from different backgrounds and religious groups.
“Today we are convening as men to discuss among ourselves strategies and approaches for getting Nelson Mandela Bay men better organised and united in defeating gender-based violence and femicide,” said Kayser.
The event was attended by men from different sectors, including the departments of health and social development. The forum was formed by representatives from different NGOs who are not willing to stand by and watch while other men terrorise society.
NMB Men’s Forum public relations officer, Mbulelo Xinana, said men were at the centre of every incident related to gender-based violence (GBV) and that this prompted the formation of the forum.
NMBM has committed to doing its best to curb GBV and femicide by spreading the message across all Nelson Mandela Bay communities.
Pictured Above: Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s Parliament.
Image Source: Anita Dangazele
