Exploring the Perspectives of Women on Unreported Experiences of Gender-Based Violence in South African Homes (Relationships)
Mohammed X. Ntshangase 
& Habasisa V. Molise
Issue: Vol.5 No. 9 November 2024 Article 2 pp.338-384
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2024592 | Published online 28th November, 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
In many areas of South Africa, gender-based violence has continued to grow, and during COVID-19 lockdowns, it reached its highest heights. This study sought to differentiate between active gender-based violence and passive gender-based violence, as this distinction has always been ignored both in literature and in the South African legal system. While active gender-based violence (GBV) gets reported to the police and legally addressed, passive GBV happens in closets and cannot be reported. However, passive GBV leaves no physical scars that can be presented in court and is therefore not addressed in South African law. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively sampled group of 10 women from Vhembe District (Venda), and thematic analysis was adopted. This study argued for women’s psychological health to be equally recognized as well as their physical health. The core argument is that depression causes as much harm as physical scars. The findings of the study revealed that GBV offenses as omissions in relationships do affect South African women in serious ways, similar to those offenses reported as commission. The findings also showed that South African law only focuses on GBV by commission; this is because GBV by omission offenses have nowhere to report and no one investigates them. Furthermore, the study found that women in South Africa suffer from being victims of mental health problems due to the fact that they live with unreportable offenses of GBV by omission. Therefore, the study contends that cases of GBV by commission in the context of spouses are usually the end result of salient GBV by omission that has been happening for a long time with no ability to report or call for intervention. This study adds to the growing literature on combating GBV in South Africa.
Keywords: Gender-Based Violence, Unreported Experiences, Passive GBV, Self-Harm, Relationships.
Adu, P. A Step-by-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Coding. New York: Routledge, 2019.
Allen, Sophia. “The Lack of a Fully Intersectional Approach to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” Portland State University, 2018. https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.531.
Amaechi, Kingsley Ekene, Tsoaledi Daniel Thobejane, and Raymond Rasalokwane. “Feminist Reflections on the Impact of the South African National COVID-19 Lockdown on the Upsurge of Gender Based Violence in Mahwelereng Township of Limpopo Province, South Africa.” Gender and Behaviour 19, no. 1 (2021): 17186–203.
Awoniyi, Paul, and Friday Eboiyehi. “Women and Rural Water Management: Unequal Power Relations and Gender Stereotypes, Ondo State, Nigeria.” Journal of Gender and Power, 2022.
Banda, Zuze J. “A Survey on Gender-Based Violence–The Paradox of Trust between Women and Men in South Africa: A Missiological Scrutiny.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 76, no. 1 (2020).
Britton, Hannah E. Ending Gender-Based Violence: Justice and Community in South Africa. University of Illinois Press, 2020.
Buqa, Wonke. “Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: A Narrative Reflection.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 78, no. 1 (2022): 7754.
Busetto, Loraine, Wolfgang Wick, and Christoph Gumbinger. “How to Use and Assess Qualitative Research Methods.” Neurological Research and Practice 2, no. 1 (December 27, 2020): 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z.
Carnap, R. Logical Syntax of Language. London: Routledge Publishers, 1961.
———. The Logical Structure of the World. Berkeley-Los Angeles: Univ. Carnap, 1937.
Choi, J., Lee, M., Lee, J.K., Kang, D. and Choi, J.Y., “Correlates associated with participation in physical activity among adults: a systematic review of reviews and update.” BMC Public Health, 17, (2017); 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4255-2
Dirik, Deniz. “Leader Power Bases and Perceived Leader Effectiveness: Conservation of Gender Stereotypes.” Current Psychology 40, no. 12 (December 9, 2021): 6175–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01169-2.
Dlamini, Nobuhle Judy. “Gender-Based Violence, Twin Pandemic to COVID-19.” Critical Sociology 47, no. 4–5 (July 30, 2021): 583–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920520975465.
Enaifoghe, A, and T A Idowu. “The Attitudes and Perceptions toward Sexuality and the Social Influence on Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” African Journal of Public Affairs 12, no. 1 (2021): 153–70.
Enaifoghe, Andrew, Melita Dlelana, Anuoluwapo Abosede Durokifa, and Nomaswazi P Dlamini. “The Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence against Women in South Africa: A Call for Action.” African Journal of Gender, Society & Development 10, no. 1 (2021): 117.
Frege, G. “ Begriffsschrift.” Grunddzesetze Der Arithmetic 2, no. 1 (1906). plato.stanford.edu/entries/frege/#BasFerLogPreCal.
Frieslaar, Brent V, and Maake Masango. “Blessings or Curses? The Contribution of the Blesser Phenomenon to Gender-Based Violence and Intimate Partner Violence.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 77, no. 4 (2021).
George, Lacey. “Gender-Based Violence against Women in South Africa.” Ballard Brief 2020, no. 2 (2020): 7.
Glock, J H. What Is Analytic Philosophy? . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Graaff, Karen. “The Implications of a Narrow Understanding of Gender-Based Violence.” Feminist Encounters 5, no. 1 (2021): 1–12.
Hallen, B. “Contextualism in Philosophy: Knowledge, Meaning, and Truth.” In Analytic Philosophy. Goethe University, edited by G. Preyer and G. Peter. Frankfurt: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Hallen, B., and J O. Sodipo. Knowledge, Belief, and Witchcraft: Analytic Experiments in African Philosophy . California: Stanford University Press, 1997.
Hunter, D., McCallum, J. and Howes, D., “Defining exploratory-descriptive qualitative (EDQ) research and considering its application to healthcare.” Journal of Nursing and Health Care, 4(1). (2019)http://dl6.globalstf.org/index.php/jnhc/article/view/1975
Kiguwa, P. and Stevens, G., “Troubling apprehensions of gender-based violence in South Africa: Fanon’s sociogeny as a psychosocial lens.” Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 22(4), (2021); 256-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/15240657.2021.1996733
Klazinga, L, L Artz, and A Müller. “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and HIV in South Africa: An HIV Facility-Based Study.” South African Medical Journal 110, no. 5 (2020): 377–81.
Košir, Suzana, and Radhika Lakshminarayanan. “Do Visual Constructs in Social Science Textbooks Evince Gender Stereotypes and Bias? A Case Study from India.” Gender and Education 35, no. 1 (2023): 69–88.
Lange, Elizabeth, and Susan Young. “Gender-Based Violence as Difficult Knowledge: Pedagogies for Rebalancing the Masculine and the Feminine.” International Journal of Lifelong Education 38, no. 3 (May 4, 2019): 301–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2019.1597932.
Leon, Carmen M., and Eva Aizpurua. “Do Youth Dream of Gender Stereotypes? The Relationship among Gender Stereotyping, Support for Feminism, and Acceptance of Gender-Based Violence.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 3 (January 30, 2023): 2439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032439.
Liamputtong, P. Qualitative Research Methods. 5th ed. Docklands, VIC: Oxford University Press Australia, 2020.
Mahlo, Lebohang. “The Capabilities Necessary for Effective ICT Integration in Teaching at Two Public Primary Schools in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape.” Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020.
Mbandlwa, Zamokuhle. “Analysis of a One-Sided Narrative of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” Solid State Technology 63, no. 6 (2020): 13227–40.
McGinn, C. The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey through Twentieth-Century Philosophy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2002.
Moreroa, M.C. and Rapanyane, M.B., “A growing outcry of gender-based violence and gender inequality in South Africa: An Afrocentric perspective.” African Journal of Gender, Society & Development, 10(2), (2021);7. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aa_jgida1-v10-n2-a1
Mutinta, Given. “Gender-Based Violence among Female Students and Implicatons for Health Intervention Programmes in Public Universities in Eastern Cape, South Africa.” Cogent Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (2022): 2079212.
Ntshangase, M.X. and Ntshangase, S.C., “Psychoanalytic Rationality: A Critique of the Improper Feminist Approach to Teenage Pregnancy.” African Journal of Gender, Society & Development, 13(2), (2023);145-161. https://doi.org/10.31920/2634-3622/2023/v12n2a6
Ndhlovu, G Nokukhanya, Pius T Tanga, and V D Adjoh-Davoh. “The Interconnection between Youth Gangs, Toxic Masculinity, and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” Negotiating Patriarchy and Gender in Africa: Discourses, Practices, and Policies, 2021, 73–83.
Ndlovu, Sithembiso, Mutshidzi Mulondo, Joyce Tsoka-Gwegweni, and James Ndirangu. “COVID-19 Impact on Gender-Based Violence among Women in South Africa during Lockdown: A Narrative Review.” African Journal of Reproductive Health 26, no. 7 (2022): 59–71.
Olalere, Folasayo Enoch. “Gamification as a Tool for Social Change: A Case of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (EHASS) 3 (13), Https://Doi. Org/10.38159/Ehass 20223135 (2022).
Oparinde, Kunle, and Rachel Matteau Matsha. “Powerful Discourse: Gender-Based Violence and Counter-Discourses in South Africa.” Cogent Arts & Humanities 8, no. 1 (2021): 1911035.
Peng, Altman Yuzhu, Jenny Zhengye Hou, Majid KhosraviNik, and Xiaoxiao Zhang. “‘She Uses Men to Boost Her Career’: Chinese Digital Cultures and Gender Stereotypes of Female Academics in Zhihu Discourses.” Social Semiotics 33, no. 4 (2023): 750–68.
Poto, Margherita Paola. “Dis-Empowering Gender Stereotypes.” In Gender Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academia: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Transformation. Gender Series, 1–10. Routledge, 2023.
Ramaphosa, C., President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the Presidential Gender-Based Violence Summit 2022. The presidency of the Republic of South Africa. http://www.thepresidency.gov.za
Rapanyane, Makhura B. “Women in Trouble? A Critical Reflection on the Major Hindrances to Addressing Gender Based Violence in South Africa.” African Journal of Gender, Society & Development 10, no. 4 (2021): 209.
Rotondi, Valentina, Ridhi Kashyap, Luca Maria Pesando, Simone Spinelli, and Francesco C Billari. “Leveraging Mobile Phones to Attain Sustainable Development.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 24 (2020): 13413–20.
SABC News. “Gender-Based Violence Is South Africa Winning the Fight against GBV? ,” 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zja3_fqbp0I.
Sanni, John Sodiq, and Diana Ekor Ofana. “Recasting the Ontological Foundation of Ubuntu: Addressing the Problem of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” South African Journal of Philosophy 40, no. 4 (October 2, 2021): 384–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2021.1996143.
Shea, Patricia. “ Violence against Women: The End Begins with Men .” |Patricia Shea |TEDxNashville [Interview]. YouTube., 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-cxFYJ1gJk.
Silverman, D. Qualitative Research. 5th ed. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2021.
Soames, S. The Dawn of Analysis: Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century. Vol. 1. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003.
Stauffer, Carolyn S. “The Sexual Politics of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: Linking Public and Private Worlds.” Journal of Sociology and Christianity 5, no. 1 (2015).
Stewart, Rebecca, Breanna Wright, Liam Smith, Steven Roberts, and Natalie Russell. “Gendered Stereotypes and Norms: A Systematic Review of Interventions Designed to Shift Attitudes and Behaviour.” Heliyon 7, no. 4 (April 2021): e06660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06660.
Tracy, Sarah J. Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. John Wiley & Sons, 2024.
Western Cape Government. “Men Who Have Been Abused Are More Likely to Become Abusive. Stop the Cycle. It Can End with You.” Western Cape Government: For You., 2023.
Wiesner, Claudia. “Doing Qualitative and Interpretative Research: Reflecting Principles and Principled Challenges.” Political Research Exchange 4, no. 1 (December 31, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1080/2474736X.2022.2127372.
Wittgenstein, L. “ Mind Association .” JSTOR 61, 1937. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2252298.
Yesufu, Shaka. “The Scourge of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) on Women Plaguing South Africa.” EUREKA: Social and Humanities, no. 1 (January 28, 2022): 96–100. https://doi.org/10.21303/2504-5571.2022.002261.
Zinyemba, Kudakwashe Gracious, and Khumbulani Hlongwana. “Men’s Conceptualization of Gender-Based Violence Directed to Women in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa.” BMC Public Health 22, no. 1 (2022): 2235.
Mohammed Xolile Ntshangase holds a master’s degree in philosophy which he obtained in 2015 (UKZN), and he is completing his PhD with UKZN. He is currently affiliated with the University of Limpopo in the Department of Education Studies, wherein he serves as a lecturer of Philosophy & Psychology of Education. His areas of research interest are; African Philosophy, Philosophy of Education, Psychology of Education, and Gender Studies. He has attended and presented papers at 10 academic conferences including national and international ones, and he has more than 20 publications in DHET-accredited journals.
Habasisa Vincent Molise (PhD Student) is a Lecturer at the School of Education, Department of Education Studies at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. He holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum Studies. His research interests focus on Commerce Education.
Ntshangase, Mohammed X. & Habasisa V. Molise.”Exploring the Perspectives of Women on Unreported Experiences of Gender-Based Violence in South African Homes (Relationships).” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 5, no.9 (2024): 368-384. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2024592
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Featured