Hurrah! Huzzah! Brava & Bravo!

Oh hey, remember when South African President Zuma was accused of rape by his deceased friends daughter? And Prez Z was all "Yeah we had sex but it was consensual. Oh and yeah, I totes know she's HIV positive and I didn't use a condom, but no worries because I took a shower afterwards*". And remember how Zuma supporters carried signs that said "How much did they pay you,nondindwa [bitch]?" Don't forget about how Z assured the court of her desire to sleep with him as was surely indicated by her "wearing a knee length skirt". And then remember how Zuma was cleared of all charges? 


Well last January, Z's bff (and the powerful ANC Youth League Leader) Julius Malema told a group of 150 university students that it was obvious that the woman had enjoyed having sex with Z and it must have been consensual since she asked for taxi money and spent the night. Then he shared some words of wisdom:


 "When a woman didn't enjoy it, she leaves early in the morning. Those who had a nice time will wait until the sun comes out, request breakfast and ask for taxi money."


Gee thanks Julius! I had been wondering if there was a surefire way to tell. 


Obviously this kind of rhetoric is horrifying on it's own, but even scarier when taken in context. It's estimated that 1/3 South African women are rape survivors. A recent survey showed that 1/4 men admitted to raping someone with most having raped more than one person. As is the case in most nations, a small fraction of those rapes are reported and only 7 percent of those reported lead to conviction. So when a well-known and influential politician publicly conveys rape stereotypes and supports survivor stigmatization, it seems ehhh...irresponsible. 


Enter The Sonke Gender Justice Network which works to actively engage boys and men in the promotion of gender equality and the prevention of sexual violence. (By the way, how cool is it that they work specifically with boys and men?) Sonke bravely brought up formal charges of hate speech against Malema for the above gem-of-a-quote. And yesterday a South African court ruled that he is in fact guilty of hate speech and discrimination. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!  


Watch this video on Sonke's journey and reason for bringing charges against Malema.  Fast forward to 5:13 for serious inspiration. 


Brava and Bravo!
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* As a former sex educator and current human being, I feel compelled to remind Z and all his cronies, that surprise! Showering after sex is exactly 0% effective at preventing any STI or HIV transmission. But you already knew that.