18/09/2026
💜MADODA SABELANI.💜
In the face of the violence women continue to experience in our communities and across South Africa, silence is not enough.
Gender-based violence is an ongoing crisis. One that demands our attention, our voices and our action every day, not only during awareness months.
Our Linpark learners chose to use their voices.
Through song, poetry, solidarity and a small, student-led demonstration, conducted under the guidance and supervision of our staff, our learners came together to acknowledge a reality that affects far too many women and girls in our country.
Our rugby boys raised their voices through “Madoda Sabelani”, calling on men to speak up, to stand against violence and to understand that silence can never be the answer.
One of our girls then shared a powerful poem, giving words to the emotions and realities that are often difficult to express.
Together, their voices carried one simple but important message:
Madoda, sabelani.
Men, speak up.
Gender-based violence is not a “women’s issue”. It is a community issue. It is a human issue. And change begins when we choose to speak, to listen, to challenge harmful behaviour and to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
And perhaps most importantly, it is about refusing to become desensitised to the stories we hear and the lives that are lost.
Today, our learners reminded us that young voices have power. They showed that awareness does not always need a stage, a microphone or a big campaign. Sometimes, it begins with a group of young people deciding that they care enough to stand together and say, “This is not okay.”
We are proud of our learners for recognising that true strength is found in courage, compassion and the willingness to stand up for what is right, even when it would be easier to remain silent.
May we continue to raise young men who know that speaking up matters, young women who know that their voices matter, and a generation that understands that respect, dignity and safety should never be negotiable.
Speak up. Stand together. Break the silence.
💜Linpark stands against GBV.💜
