Theorizing Gender-Based Violence in the South African Context: African Feminisms

South African has recorded some of the heighted incidences of gender-based violence owing to high rates of poverty, systematic and structural inequalities, socio-cultural norms and values. The South African Police Service statistics show that, every three hours, a woman is killed. There has been a significant upward trend in violence against women making it to be otherwise referred to as a “Shadow Pandemic”. Using a qualitative desktop study, this chapter aims to discuss and apply the basic tenets of the African feminisms framework to theorize gender-based violence within the South African context. Findings were analyzed through content analysis and data was grouped and presented in themes. From this study, findings show that the politics of masculinity in patriarchal systems legitimizes violence towards women. It reflects the system's weakness of failing to control the masculine hegemonic status held by many men within African contexts. African Feminisms does not only focus on challenging male dominance and female subordination but also challenges the status quo of contemporary patriarchy which constrains women from realizing their potential beyond their traditional roles as mothers and wives. This in turn challenges conservative gender norms that condone some behaviors which increases the levels of violence. This chapter recommends that Gender Based violence in the South African context should be analyzed through African epistemologies derived from the African Feminisms that critique Western feminisms for its dominant episteme position. This can be achieved by re-imagining and addressing norms and cultures that challenge gendered power dynamics and inequalities in various institutions that can exacerbate Gender based violence.