By: Tlotliso Knoxman May

The fight that 2019 Activator Alinah Mazibuko is putting up against gender-based violence – against all odds! 

South Africa, and the world at large, has a problem of GBV. This is a problem that has seemingly only increased in severity as the world’s renowned movements and activists are fighting tooth and nail in order to eliminate the problem and its causes. The marches and initiatives in an effort to ensure that GBV is matched with extreme punishment are often directed to governments and leadership. Throughout the years, many women and alliance movements have marched to governments in an act to petition them to do something about the alarming rates of GBV. One of the core activities within the ACTIVATE! Change Drivers is driving the cause to set women free from the onslaught by their male counterparts. Activator and Activist, Alinah Mazibuko assumed a role in ensuring that she is counted amongst those who fight for women’s right and ensure that voiceless women are heard and those with a less impact are amplified. 

The fight for justice is not going to be achieved through aimless and haphazard activism but establishing systems that will not only liberate women now, but ensure that an everlasting and self-fueling system is established to always champion the rights of women. In light of this, Activator Alinah Mazibuko registered her own foundation and named it after herself. This was on top of having founded an organisation called Moonlight Youth Club which is registered with Social Development (2013). She also co-founded Special Ties in 2016. Her everlasting wish for change propelled her to always pursue bigger and better networking opportunities that will enable her to create a change in the lives of women and end injustices. 

In her ideal South Africa, peace and justice prevails and the incidence rates of GBV are not low but nonexistent. This is an ideal that she lives by and ensures that she grabs any opportunity that rears its head and ensures that for her fight against GBV – Aluta Continua! She wishes that our leaders would focus on service delivery and core issues in their respective roles. 

A lot of Activists will relate a story about how their activism is met with failure because while they’re passionate about making change, the challenges and social issues are too big and overwhelming and thus require some financial muscle. Activator Alinah also relates the same shortcoming. She wishes to one day access adequate funding and establish a youth-based centre where she furnishes youth with free Wi-Fi and basic skills. She further emphasizes that the said centre should be built on a piece of land that she would’ve purchased and owned – setting precedence about ownership as well.

In the past/recent election cycle, she took that opportunity to work her way to mayorship. She understands that it is not a once off journey but a series of small actions in order to reach her dream of being a municipal mayor. She is currently tasked with being a PR counsel. This task encompasses duties around economic development and , and over and beyond her task of economic empowerment, she aims and views to focus on women empowerment and ensure that GBV incidents are removed from her constituency. The belief of using governance in order to enforce and ensure change is deeply rooted in her modus operandi and in this instance, she aims to work her way towards mayorship and free women from the chains of gender-based violence.