Two of the 13 civil society organisations represented at the G20 Social Summit say SA’s social crises will deepen unless communities, survivors and young people are included in policymaking and NGOs helping gender-based violence (GBV) survivors are properly funded.
SA is hosting the G20 Social Summit from Tuesday until Thursday, a gathering designed to elevate grassroots voices and ensure that community concerns shape global policy discussions.
We want to see real implementation. Policymaking must be inclusive, and it must include young people and children
— Thandolwenkosi Nkosi, global youth ambassador for Theirworld
Speaking at the summit, Sarah Lekale, chairperson of the Free State’s GBV Forum, said SA’s GBV crisis is worsening, with women, LGBTIQ+ people and toddlers dying at the hands of relatives and intimate partners.
“We are here to represent all the citizens of SA living with gender-based violence so that the G20 can hear our voice,” Lekale said. “Women are dying. Men are dying. Two gay men were killed by their partners. Two toddlers were killed by an uncle and an aunt. It is a real crisis.”
Lekale criticised the criminal justice system and the government for failing to implement existing GBV laws, saying survivors return to communities with little support.
“We want the government to bring real sentences for gender-based violence. We cannot keep having white papers that never lead to action,” she said. “Grassroots organisations get no funding. There are shelters for women but not enough for men or the LGBTIQ+ community.”
Despite frustrations with unfulfilled promises from past summits, Lekale said she remains cautiously hopeful.
“If they truly listen and bring us to the small round-table discussions, real change can happen. But if we are here only for show, people will keep dying, and now they are dying more.”
Also raising her voice at the summit was Thandolwenkosi Nkosi, a global youth ambassador for Theirworld, representing the Act For Early Years campaign.
Nkosi, from KwaThema in Springs, said early childhood development is the foundation of a stable and educated society and must be prioritised at a global level.
“The ages of zero to five are the most important years in a child’s life,” Nkosi said. “We must urge world leaders to invest in early childhood education. Many issues we see today from unemployment to climate impacts can be traced back to gaps in early development.”
Nkosi warned that the summit must not provide another cycle of speeches without follow-through.
“We want to see real implementation. Policymaking must be inclusive, and it must include young people and children.”
She said communities like hers must feel the change.
“Transformation shouldn’t only be visible in suburban or urban areas. Townships and rural communities must recognise the change too. That’s where it matters most.”
Lekale and Nkosi emphasised that while platforms like the G20 Social Summit are important, communities cannot survive more symbolic engagements without real commitments.
From GBV to early childhood education, they stressed that SA’s most affected communities must be at the centre of global and national policy decisions and that action must finally match the promises.
Sowetan
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