Wits postgraduate students tackle a conversation on black masculinities in South Africa, examining the impact of apartheid, absent fathers, and social pressures.
Book club dives into Dr. Malose Langa’s, “Becoming Men: Black Masculinities in a South African Township.”
Langa examines the lives of 32 young boys living in Alexandra, over 12 years.
Panellists highlight the performative nature of both masculinity and femininity, signifying the need to create ‘safe spaces’ for positive self-expression.
For their first pick, the Division of Student Affairs’ Postgraduate Book Club, discussed Senior Psychology Professor, Dr. Malose Langa’s book, ‘Becoming Men: Black Masculinities in a South African Township.’
Langa’s work looks at a study done, from 2007 to 2018, on 32 boys from the Alexandra township. In chapter one of his book, ‘What makes a man a man’, Langa starts with the grim environment, “The place is overcrowded and underserviced, and poverty, violence, and crime are rife.”
Through his study, Langa examines how masculinities were understood and formed over time, and the roles these developments played in negative masculine outcomes, such as abuse against women and other men, alcoholism, gangsterism, and more.
“If crime is being committed by young males, then it means that young males are who we need to focus on, and that’s how the journey started,” said Langa on the night.
Through stories like that of Hilton, a young boy who struggled with his sexuality, Themba, a teen father who fought for a relationship with his daughter, and Simon, the youngest son of four who tried his hardest to reject the norms that took boys down dangerous paths, we learnt about how masculinities in a township are a performance.
In the chapter titled ‘Backdrop to Alex – South African Townships and stories in context’, Langa explained that through a community’s fight against the Apartheid regime “various other forms of violence also increased in townships, including violent crimes …[the] rise of the ‘jackrolling’ phenomenon, whereby gang members committed violent crimes that included harassing, kidnapping and raping young women.”
Iracelma Adriano, a BSc Honours student in Geography at Wits and panellist at the book club, said, “There was a time in the book where the boys actually had to take photos with their disposable cameras and then they had one-on-one interviews with prof and they showed parts of their daily life, what was important to them, and afterwards there was a focus group and now they had this pressure of other men around them, and what they shared was different, and this to me just solidified the idea that masculinity and femininity are things that we perform, they are not inherent or fixed constructs.”
Reading these stories and appreciating the personal journeys of these boys exhibits how masculinities are shaped by historical forces and the subsequent social expectations that arose. Langa’s study reflects a key idea within feminist thought – that gender identities are not predetermined but constructs of society, politics, and history.
To dive deeper, specifically for the context of this book, one must look at the intersectionality discussed by the feminist movement, which recognises that identities are also shaped by one’s experiences and influences. Absent fathers and the vacuum mothers fill was one of the issues discussed. While mothers were credited with helping boys understand their emotions, the flip side was that this was trumped by the societal expectations to be more masculine, ‘Jaro-boys’, who were sexually successful with girls, defining them as men.
Langa’s book ends with a call for the urgency to create ‘safe spaces’ for ‘listening, hearing, and action’, calling for proactive educational measures, encouraging conversations around masculinity, and support for mothers as role models for emotionally healthy sons.
To end the book club’s discussion, the professor emphasised that the “responsibility is on all of us, what is it that you are doing in your private space?”
FEATURED IMAGE: Dr. Malose Langa’s book, “Becoming Men: Black Masculinities in a South African Township.” Photo: Ekta Seebran
With the release of Marc Webbs’ Snow White, the Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee call for a boycott of the film starring former Israeli military officer, Gal Gadot.
Wits PSC call to boycott Snow White due to the casting of Gal Gadot, former IDF officer.
SAUJS member says that the boycott is “harmful” and “discriminatory”.
PSC supporter says the action is not about the film, it’s about not supporting someone who participated in genocide.
At the end of March 2025, the Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) took to Instagram and called on supporters to boycott director Marc Webbs’ film, Snow White, starring Gal Gadot, former member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
This cinematic protest call follows the 20-year Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) Campaign in support of Palestine.
According to the official BDS website the campaign is “inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law … Israel maintains a regime of settler colonialism, apartheid, and occupation over the Palestinian people. This is only possible because of international support … the world help[s] Israel to oppress Palestinians.”
Jacob Boner of the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) at Wits, says that “SAUJS stance on the BDS led boycott of films due to actor’s [Gal Gadot] political views is harmful.”
He further explained that they believe, “these are not boycotts against entities such as governments and corporations, but against individuals, boycotting a movie because it has an Israeli actress in it is tantamount to persecuting her for her religion and is thus discriminatory.”
In contrast, Wits student and PSC supporter Sameera Karolia, says that she, “completely and unapologetically support[s] the BDS led boycott of Snow White and all projects involving Gal Gadot […] by proudly supporting Israel’s war, she [Gadot] is complicit in the violence and ongoing oppression of Palestinian people.
“This isn’t about judging a film, it’s about refusing to support people who are complicit in genocide.”
In the conversation around the boycott of Snow White, it is also significant to note that the lead of the film, Rachel Zelger, is an outspoken supporter of Palestine, but there has been no call to boycott the film by Zionist movements.
To this, Boner says, “unlike the harmful BDS movement we do not endorse boycotts of art based solely on an individual’s identity or beliefs, we believe that opening engagement and dialogue is the way forward – not the demonisation of an entire group of people and their beliefs.”
When asked if Zegler’s stance would impact her decision to boycott, Karolia said, “No, it does not. The boycott targets Snow White because of Disney’s deliberate decision to platform and profit a vocal Zionist, who has actively participated in Israel’s genocide – both as a former IDF member and through her public statements.”
Discussing what message the boycott sends, Karolia said that it, “sends a message that entertainment isn’t worth moral compromises.”
Whether choosing to boycott the film or not, one cannot argue that film – and all art for that matter – is apolitical. Art and, significantly, film – considering its reach – has the ability to send messages globally. The act of endorsing or boycotting is a personal decision that demands accountability.
FEATURED IMAGE:Snow white (2025) cover. Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_(2025_film)
Women for Change take their petition to the Pretoria Union Buildings in a call for justice against gender-based violence and femicide.
The group wants gender-based violence and femicide to be declared a national disaster
Over 1500 signatures in support of the call have been secured
Activists say a state of emergency would unlock key resources
The Women for Change movement took a stand on Friday, April 11, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, to hand over their petition declaring gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) a national disaster.
The non-profit organisation argues that the petition is the result of government inaction in the face of increasing cases of GBV. Despite the government adopting the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in 2020, “on the ground, we haven’t felt any difference,” said Sabrina Walter, the founder of Women for Change.
The handover of the petition is the culmination of a social media campaign which saw the organisation garner over 1500 signatures in support of its call.
The organisation’s website shows that 5 578 women and 1 656 children were killed between April 2023 to March 2024, with over 42 000 rape cases reported and an estimated 95% not reported. Above this, according to the second-quarter SAPS report for 2024 (between July and September), 12 764 sexual offences and 10 191 rape cases were reported, all in just three months.
“The silence surrounding these statistics is deafening, perhaps because the lives of women and children are undervalued in South Africa,” said Walter.
“We’d expect an emergency task force … urgent deployment of resources and funding … in cases of misconduct, we demand that police, court officials, and others be held accountable. The missing element is political will. There’s simply no urgency on this matter,” explained Walter.
Educator Lu Simatele, from Girls Against Oppression, agreed: “If you declare it [GBV] a National Disaster, it forces the government to legitimately look at it as an epidemic, legitimately look at it as a disease.”
Simatele said GBV needs to be tackled the same way the covid-19 pandemic was. “You know, for example, when covid-19 hit and they had to declare it a state of emergency, I think very much the same thing has to happen with gender-based violence because we really need to unlock emergency funding …adequate resourcing, multisectoral interventions, coordination, the police, health systems, the justice system, and not only do they need to be adequate, they need to held accountable but at a crisis level of importance and action because it is actually a crisis.”
Speaking about the impact they expect the protest to make Walter said, “If women see our government finally treating GBVF as the emergency it is, it will send a powerful message. You matter. Your life matters. Your voice will be heard, and we believe you. When systems are in place to support and protect, more survivors will come forward.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Women for Change logo. Photo: Supplied
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