Leaked Letter: Deputy Minister Slams KZN’s “Sexist” and “Dangerous” GBV Campaign

The Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has issued a damning critique of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government’s latest anti-GBV campaign. She’s called for its immediate withdrawal over what she describes as “sexist,” “reductive,” and “harmful” messaging.

The campaign in question — branded under the slogan “Asingababulali, Sibathande, Sibaphe Imali” (translated as “Don’t kill them, love them, give them money”) — was launched by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government to raise awareness about gender-based violence and promote a culture of love, respect, and financial support toward women.

Promoted on social media and other platforms, it formed part of the province’s broader effort to tackle the ongoing scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), with R24.9 million allocated for related interventions in the 2025 budget, including the expansion of Thuthuzela Care Centres and awareness programmes.

While the campaign’s intention may have been to promote non-violence and economic empowerment, it quickly drew criticism for implying that women’s safety and well-being could be achieved through emotional care and financial support alone — a message that, critics argue, risks reinforcing patriarchal norms rather than dismantling them.

In a strongly worded letter seen by MambaOnline, dated 30 April 2025 and addressed to KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Deputy Minister Letsike minced no words.

“Reducing any person’s safety and dignity to a transactional exchange undermines the very purpose of anti-GBVF initiatives,” she wrote. “It communicates to perpetrators that abuse can be ‘offset’ with financial support, and to victims that their pain can be pacified with money.”

Letsike said the messaging perpetuates dangerous stereotypes that equate women’s value with material compensation, rather than recognising them as autonomous individuals deserving of full human rights and systemic protection.

She further warned that such framing is deeply rooted in South Africa’s colonial and apartheid-era legacies, such as the Natal Code of Native Law, which denied women legal autonomy and commodified their lives through rigid patriarchal controls.

“A government-led GBVF campaign should aim to challenge all iterations of patriarchy and promote gender equality — not reinforce deeply embedded notions that women are commodities to be controlled, appeased, or purchased,” the Deputy Minister asserted.

She has called on the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government to:

• Immediately withdraw the campaign,
• Publicly apologise to the people of South Africa, and
• Collaborate with gender rights experts, survivor advocacy groups, and national departments to develop a more appropriate and empowering message.

Despite her criticisms, Letsike acknowledged the province’s commitment to prioritising the fight against GBVF and encouraged it to lead with dignity, justice, and community consultation moving forward.

MambaOnline is reaching out to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government for comment.

Update: The campaign appears to have now been removed from social media.