A GROUP of nine men and a woman took a walk of hundreds of kilometers for men to be acknowledged.
The group braved the cold and the heat from one province to another to plead with the nation.
They walked from Polokwane in Limpopo to the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
The 276km walk took them seven days to complete.
The team said on their 10 Day Walk to Break Gender Stereotypes, they were joined by other people.
They arrived on Monday, 27 March at the Union Buildings after they started the walk on Tuesday, 21 March.
Poet and author Matalane Mokgatla, who started the walk with the hope of changing how men are treated in society, said he is giving men a platform to speak and to protect young boys.
He said he started this initiative after realizing that men are not treated equally to women and that their mental health is not given the same consideration.
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"I want men to be allowed to speak about their worries, frustrations, and life challenges without being labelled weak," he said.
Mokgatla said he hopes to see men from abusive relationships and toxic family backgrounds reporting cases of abuse where their human rights may have been violated.
He said he is not partnered with any organization but rather partners with anyone who reaches out to him.
Furthermore, Mokgatla works with people who support the Men Speak Out initiative and his Facebook followers who have become like family, Euphoria Golf Estate, Dr ES Kgwete and the local brands such as Letsaka Studios.
Another member who participated in the walk, Nyehlane Madingoaneng, said the goal is to break historical stereotypes about men and raise awareness that men also need mental and emotional support.
The team said that women also support the Men Speak Out initiative.
The only woman who joined the men in the walk, Mokganyetši Makgotla, said she was pat of the walk to show her support for men and to protect young boys.
She said she hopes that change will prevail and that men will no longer adhere to the "Monna ke nku o llela teng" talk, meaning men should not cry out.
"Men are afraid to voice their worries and struggles because they fear being labelled as weak and they may resort to committing suicide or suffer from serious mental health issues, such as depression," she said.
