On Heritage Day, Al Jama-ah Councillor Thapelo Amad joined Mr Mhlongo, CEO of Jozi FM, and the station’s team for a solidarity prayer against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
It was a prayer for the women and girls whose lives have been brutally taken, and for the countless others who continue to live with violence, fear and abuse.
The gathering served as a reminder that Heritage Day is also about the kind of society we want to build — one where women and children are safe, communities are protected and everyone can enjoy public spaces without fear.
For Al Jama-ah, confronting GBVF requires more than words. It requires communities, government, faith leaders, civil society and men to stand together and reject violence in all its forms.
The silencing of women must also be confronted. Emotional abuse, intimidation and controlling behaviour are forms of harm that cannot simply be dismissed or normalised.
Councillor Amad’s Heritage Day engagement was therefore about more than celebration. It was a moment of reflection, solidarity and a collective call for a safer, more compassionate society.
We say no to GBVF. We say yes to dignity, safety and a society where women and children can live free from fear.
