In line with its ongoing efforts to raise awareness and to stop gender-based violence, Heideveld Female Football Academy (HFFA) squad members, coaches, parents and supporters gathered in Klipfontein Road, near the Joseph Stone Auditorium last Friday to stage a peaceful placard demonstration.
Established in 2015, the academy has always strived to create opportunities for women and girls and to encourage them to raise their voices against social injustices, including discrimination against women and of course, the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV).
It’s no coincidence that last week’s protest comes ahead of the club’s under-16 women’s five-a-side football tournament, due to be held at the Johnson Road sports complex, on Friday December 9 and Saturday December 10.
Last Friday’s protest action and the upcoming 5s competition is an apt way for the club to round of a busy year, which saw them finishing runners-up in the women’s division of last month’s Safa Cape Town Coca Cola Amateur Cup tournament and the 16 Days of Activism For No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which runs every year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, which is International Human Rights Day.
HFFA winger Kelsey George, 20, who has been playing soccer since the age of 10 and has been with the academy for a year, says taking a stand against GBV is vital as it is one of the most ignored aspects of society. “I think that the protest will help us to get more people to help those who protest against gender-based violence,” she said.
“I think it will be a big help to people, especially women and children who are being abused,” she said.
Photography enthusiast Bilqees Watson, 22, the club’s resident shooter often seen at matches capturing the player’s trials and triumphs on and off the pitch, says the demonstration might have been a once-off affair, but that they are at it 24/7. “Yes, Friday’s protest was on violence against women and children but the academy focuses on GBV throughout the year and how we can fight it. So the protest was Day 1 of the 16 Days of Activism but for HFFA it’s Day 1 of 365.
“ I am passionate about this movement because many women and children are suffering in silence. This movement allows them to see that they are not alone. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make our voices heard and to act against injustice. I believe that all women and children should be protected at all costs. Nobody should hold any physical or emotional power over anybody, regardless of their gender or age,” she said.
HHFA central midfielder, Kirsten Pakoe, 20, agrees, saying :”To me taking a stand against GBV should be an important role in every citizen’s life, especially in South Africa because it seems like we are heading towards a femicide with the constant increase each year in the attacks and deaths of women and children. Ending the violence against our sisters and children is everyone’s business because it is a human issue. We must not hide in the silence but rather show perpetrators that we as humanity say ‘no’.“
She said that like many women, she finds herself constantly looking over her shoulder when walking home from work, afraid she might become a victim, considering the horrific statistic that says 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence on a daily basis.
“What makes it even more fearful is that certain men feel that they are obligated to make inappropriate comments or be inappropriate towards young females,” said Pako, who has been with the academy for two of her three years of playing the game.
“With our partner Callas Community Projects and other fellow community members we got together in Klipfontein Road to demonstrate in a peaceful act of solidarity, showing our support for women rights activists and the fight to end GBV in our country,” she said.
“I personally encourage every South African citizen to participate in the international 16 Days of Activism campaign because it is a very big human issue in our country that needs to be addressed with serious action, not talk,” she said.
Fabian Groenewald, a placard-bearing father, was there to support his daughter Shakirah, 13, and her teammates. Groenewald says he’s been a loyal supporter of the club ever since his daughter joined HFFA earlier this season.
“The club’s main focus is on GBV and that is a movement that I am proud to be part of, especially with my daughter at the club because as a parent you don’t really have these types of conversations on a daily basis,” he said.
HFFA chairman, Yushrie Solomons, said the picket was aimed at uniting against a common cause and not just writing about it and printing it on T-shirts.
“It’s about taking the time to take action, raising awareness and possibly giving all those who hide in fear a voice, to indicate to those perpetrators that this fight is gaining momentum,” he said.
“We as an academy are asking everyone to put aside our fears and differences and unite against this pandemic that continues to surface in all of our communities; gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and violence against children doesn’t only happen in our townships and on the Cape Flats it actually also happens in your leafy suburbs. It’s time to act. Enough is enough,” he said.
“We are truly humbled by the amount of encouragement and support we have received from the community and other clubs. We want to ask everyone to not see this as a HFFA fight – this is a fight we all need to unite against,” he said. “To the businesses and donors out there, we run our programme unfunded and we have already made such a significant difference. Imagine the impact we can make if businesses partner with us to take the fight to even greater heights,” he said.
• HFFA’s second annual GBVF 5 versus 5 festival kicks off on Friday December 9 until Saturday December 10, which also coincides with the last day of the16 Days of Activism campaign. Call 078 815 4628 for more details.