THE apartheid system used to oppress black people was similar to the one used today to oppress women through patriarchy.
That was the view of Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, as he delivered the Tsietsi Mashinini Memorial Lecture yesterday.
Mashinini was the leader of the 1976 student uprising.
Lamola said women were sick and tired of patriarchy and it was not difficult to imagine likening it with the same apartheid system that denied black professionals opportunities.
“Men are constantly implementing a special type of oppression. What will it take for us as men to realise that this sort of thing has no place in our communities?” he asked.
Lamola challenged men to stand up and say enough was enough and ensured the growing list of women who were dying at the hands of men didn’t grow.
He said the country has seen a lot of bloodshed during the struggle and even then, it was women who suffered the most at the hands of the oppressor.
He also pointed to the brutal murder of Colin Khosa allegedly by soldiers as another example of our brutal society, saying the law should take its course for society to find closure on the matter.
“To the young people of today, you are heavily indebted to the bravery of Mashinini in confronting the tyranny of apartheid.
“His commitment to the course of total emancipation was a noble deed all of us should emulate as we address today’s challenges, such unemployment and poverty,” said the minister.
