Cabinet Adopts GBV Prevention Framework

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said Cabinet had adopted a prevention of gender-based violence framework developed by his department.

Nzimande said the framework would advise institutions of higher learning on how to build their policies.

But Nzimande said the gender-based violence framework was historic.

“Those recommendations and the framework have now been adopted by Parliament. I will be gazetting that shortly. I call upon all our institutions to use the framework to develop their own measures to combat gender-based violence. This is historic and very important.”

He also released a report on the slow pace of academic staff transformation at universities, which he said indicated that racism and patriarchy were still used to sideline black female academics. At the same time, he’s announced a task team to investigate awarding of financial aid by NSFAS.

“Under representation is more pronounced at senior levels and is more pronounced at specific typically advantaged universities and especially previously Afrikaans universities.”

He said some universities hired other people from other African countries and marginalised South Africans.

“We can’t use the recruiting of academics from other parts of the continent as a substitute or means to prevent the increase by black South Africans as academics.”

The minister has invited comments on the report for two months before Cabinet adopts its findings.

EWN