At the 23 August 2025 public meeting held by the Anti-capitalist Political Network (APN), a brief but informative session was held in which a guest speaker introduced the concept of gender socialisation and its relevance to GBV. GBV was correctly identified as systemic violence; a violence that the system of capitalism produces, reinforces and offers no fundamental solution to. Solutions that are put forward merely offer hollow, temporary relief to the millions affected by it. This deceit and double talk must be exposed for what it is.
The 2024 meeting on the theme of ‘Women’s struggles beyond the 2024 Elections’ highlighted the reality that women are in the forefront of social struggles; that the system has failed the majority; that elections do not provide answers or solutions to the problems of the working class. It was also observed at the time that self-organisation is still lacking in scope and intensity. However, the gathering demonstrated a spirit of defiance of what the social and political system hold for the working class; a defiance that compels us to challenge and defeat it. To achieve this, the launch of the manifesto of the APN represented an important forward step. The manifesto helps to guide us politically. It also ensures we all stay on an independent and self-organised path. The positive, fighting spirit demonstrated in this meeting was confidently carried over into the 2025 event.
The creation of stereotypes is an entrenched phenomenon in our society. Boys and girls grow up and assume roles as men and women in this society that are shaped and conditioned by the inner dynamic of capitalism. Unpaid home labour and low/lower paid jobs (meant for women) are two examples of this. Working class women have to endure the worst of this system based on gendered violence. On a positive note, political education aimed at assisting us all to unlearn behaviour that bolsters GBV, can contribute greatly to help us get rid of this social scourge. Patriarchy is part and parcel of this system. It reinforces and is reinforced by capitalist oppression and exploitation. An interesting exchange on matriarchy, patriarchy, private property relations and class formations and their historical manifestations, prompted calls for future discussions on these themes.
We are all at the mercy of mainstream and social media that unashamedly present women as the reasons for, or the cause of the violence unleashed against them. Media outlets frequently portray sexualisation as an excuse for abuse. The widely reported rape and murder case of Anene Booysen reminded all of the gravity of the issues under discussion. However, these crises have reached a point where nothing less than an independent and progressive media voice is needed to take the struggle against GBV forward.
The theme of the meeting was Organising Resistance against GBV. In line with this theme the APN will do well to raise the level of engagement on the topic; not only during the month of August. Acts of mobilisation, solidarity and camaraderie must, however, always ensure that these struggles contribute to the development of an alternative to capitalist barbarism.