Ezabangoma

29/10/2025

A Multi-Sectoral Response:
What Education, Interfaith, NGOs, and Government Can Do :

​Tackling the crisis of teenage pregnancy, especially starting from age 10, requires a coordinated effort where the Education Sector, Interfaith Organizations, NGOs, and Government each fulfill specific, vital roles in prevention, protection, and support.

​1. The Education Sector
​Schools are primary sites for both prevention and intervention.

​Mandatory, Comprehensive
Sexuality Education (CSE): Implement scientifically accurate, age-appropriate CSE that is mandatory and goes beyond biology. It must cover consent, healthy relationships, gender power dynamics, and the severe consequences of exploitation and early parenthood.

​Safe Re-entry Policies: Establish and strictly enforce policies ensuring young mothers and pregnant girls return to and complete their education without stigma.

This includes:
​Offering on-site or subsidized childcare options.
​Providing flexible learning schedules or distance education.

​Training teachers and staff to offer non-judgmental, trauma-informed support.
​Identifying and Reporting Abuse:

Train school staff to recognize and immediately report signs of sexual exploitation and abuse to law enforcement, fulfilling their mandatory reporting obligations.

​2. Interfaith and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) 🕊️
​FBOs possess immense moral authority and deep community reach.

​Challenging Harmful Norms:
Use platforms to publicly condemn statutory r@pe and the exploitation of minors by older men. They must actively challenge some cultural or patriarchal norms that blame the girl or advocate for accepting inhlawulo (a fine) over seeking justice.

​Providing Practical Support: Mobilize community resources to establish safe houses, mentorship programs, and donation drives for essentials like formula, diapers, and clothing. They can offer non-stigmatizing safe spaces for counseling and support groups.

​Promoting Abstinence and Responsibility:
Integrate messaging about delayed sexual debut with a strong focus on male responsibility, respect for girls, and the need for legal accountability.

​3. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society .
​NGOs are essential for filling gaps in government services and providing specialized care.

​Specialized Trauma Care: Offer trauma-informed counseling and therapy specific to sexual abuse and the grief associated with lost childhood.

​Life Skills and Vocational Training:
Provide young mothers with skills training and job readiness programs alongside education support, increasing their economic independence.

​Advocacy and Legal Aid: Run aggressive awareness campaigns and offer free legal assistance to young mothers to pursue justice against perpetrators, navigate social assistance, and secure their child's rights.

​Community Mobilization: Organize parents, Interfaith, community members, and youth ambassadors to foster a culture of protection and zero-tolerance for child exploitation.

​4. Government (Justice, Health, and Social Development)
​The government sets the legal framework and provides foundational services.

​Strict Justice Enforcement: The Justice Department and law enforcement should ensure rigorous investigation and prosecution of all statutory rape cases, guaranteeing perpetrators face severe penalties.

​Comprehensive Health Services:
The Health Department should tray to provide free, confidential, and comprehensive health services for pregnant teens, including specialized prenatal care, postnatal care, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

​Social Safety Nets:
The Social Development department must ensure young mothers and their children have immediate access to social grants, housing assistance, and welfare programs without bureaucratic delays, recognizing their vulnerable status.

​Coordination and Funding: The government should lead some overall strategy by coordinating multi-sectoral efforts and ensuring adequate funding for all prevention and support programs across all provinces.
​Dr Leonora Alberts Vilakazi

28/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/178pMXGb56/

The Role of Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) in Community Safety, safety in Healing Training Sectors, and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) awareness.

​Role in Safety in Communities
​THPs act as primary healthcare providers and trusted community leaders, which gives them a unique position to contribute to safety.
Their roles include:

​Conflict Resolution and Social Cohesion:
They often serve as counselors and mediators, helping to resolve disputes between individuals and families, which can de-escalate tensions and prevent violence.

​Early Warning System:
As respected figures in their communities, they are often privy to sensitive information regarding social problems, including potential threats or violence, allowing for early intervention.

​Mental and Spiritual Wellbeing:
By addressing the spiritual abuse and psychological causes of distress and illness, they contribute to the overall mental stability of community members, which is foundational to a safer environment.

Safety at Healing Training Sectors
​The safety of initiates, or abathwasa, during the training process (ukuthwasa) is a serious concern, and the THP's role is to ensure a secure and ethical environment.

This involves:
​Protecting Initiates' Rights: The supervising traditional healer (Umgoma or Isangoma) is responsible for protecting the rights and physical/emotional safety of initiates from harm, abuse, or exploitation.

​Adherence to Ethical Codes:
There is a growing call for THPs to adhere to professional codes of conduct and ethical standards to prevent abuses, such as abduction, extortion, or sexual abuse, that have sometimes been falsely associated with the initiation process.

​Compliance with Law:
The sector is increasingly being formalized under acts like the Traditional Health Practitioners Act (in South Africa), which aims to register practitioners and establish councils to regulate the practice, ensuring a safer and accountable training environment.

​Awareness on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF)
​THPs are vital in the fight against GBVF due to their influence and their role as a first point of contact for many seeking help outside of formal healthcare or legal systems.

Their contribution includes:
​Challenging Harmful
Cultural Practices: They can use their respected voice to advocate against harmful practices or interpretations of tradition, like Ukuthwala (a customary practice sometimes distorted into forced marriage or abduction), that contribute to GBVF.

​Support and Referrals: Victims/survivors of sexual assault and violence often seek out THPs for cleansing ceremonies or spiritual healing in line with their cultural beliefs. This positions the healers to:
​Identify and recognize signs of abuse.
​Provide emotional support and initial counseling.
​Refer survivors to formal support services, shelters, and law enforcement when necessary.

​Community Education: THPs can actively participate in awareness campaigns and use their traditional platforms to educate men and boys on positive masculinity and the unacceptability of violence against women and children.

​Integrating GBVF Training: It is recommended that THPs receive formal training on GBVF to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively respond to and report cases, ensuring collaboration with relevant authorities, Interfaith, NGO.s NPO.s etc.
Dr Leonora Alberts Vilakazi

28/10/2025

Join us for our Monthly Forum meeting. The focus is on
𝗠𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆. We will also have a profile on Marang Career Information Centre, dedicated to career development and serving as a comprehensive information hub which engages with diverse community age groups.
Hope to see you there!

Wednesday 5 November
12h30-14h30

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://forms.gle/MGxkKQjDcdQTJSiv7
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6523530295...


Agenda Feminist Media [www.agenda.org.za] HOPE African Religions for Peace South Africa South African Council of Churches Ikhwelohealers KwaZulu-Natal Inter Religious Council (KZN IRC)

24/10/2025

With Gender Equity Unit – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

24/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/196YwwbfEy/

𝗧𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗸𝗵𝗼𝘇𝗶 𝗙𝗠 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 at 06h10 to hear about our stance on the CRL Rights Commission Section 22 Committee. We are calling for the Committee to be representative in terms of gender and technical skills.
We have had contact from the CRL and 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁.
Catch Ntsikelelo Colossa discussing this and our Open Letter to the CRL and Committee.
Agenda Feminist Media [www.agenda.org.za] HOPE Africa Religions for Peace South Africa South African Council of Churches Ikhwelohealers Faith Action to end Gender-Based Violence Kwanele Foundation Centre for Black Thought and African Studies Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians: UWC

22/10/2025

Ezabangoma Homestead
The Shelter's Song Poem:

​A place called home, where the spirit is sown,
A sacred ground we have finally known.
It starts with a breath, a rhythmic soft chime,
Inhaling the present, exhaling the time.
​A bedrock of peace, a bright burst of joy,
Where silence can settle, and doubts we destroy.
It's woven with laughter, a thread spun so fine,
And built upon love, a design that is ours
​It's here we find stillness, the quietest space,
A moment to pray with reverence and grace.
To leave busy thoughts at the threshold outside,
And feel the deep peace where our souls can abide.
We stand in the garden, and wholly agree,
To become truly one with the nature we see.
​It knows the true texture of hard work and toil,
The sweat and the effort poured into the soil,
But also the garden, the blessing we keep,
Where life from the earth is drawn up from its sleep.
A place where the trees reach, the vegetables thrive,
Where herbs and pure knowledge help keep us alive.
The natural medicine, the leaves and the root,
Our land gives us healing, our labour its fruit.
​This harbor for healing, where burdens grow light,
A sanctuary cherished, morning and night.
The heart of the family, gathered and near,
To banish the shadows and conquer all fear.
​And see! For our animals, the freedom it grants,
A queendom to wander, a playful, wild dance.
To sunbathe and play, to stretch and to roam,
They, too, have been gifted a place called home.
​Dr Leonora Alberts Vilakazi

21/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BYvWeaQRA/

We congratulate the CRL for initiating critical reforms in faith sector accountability. As collective structures with many partners, We Will Speak Out South Africa and the Faith Action Collective to End Gender-Based Violence, work to equip the religious sector to address gender-based violence and fe...

18/10/2025

Eco way of doing things. Self-sustainability. Every home needs a garden🙏🌴☘️🍀🌱🌲🌳🍃🍂🍁🪴✨️🙏😘

18/10/2025

"Natural manure" and Compost:

In the context of composting refers to using animal manure (like cow, horse, or chicken waste) and also refers to the final mature compost product itself, which has stabilized after a proper composting period.
​
Benefits of using natural animal manure as an ingredient in your compost pile:

​1. High in Nitrogen (The "Green"
​Nutrient Powerhouse:
Manure is a rich source of nitrogen, often categorized as a "green" material in composting. Nitrogen is essential for the microorganisms to multiply and rapidly break down the carbon-rich materials like "sodust" (sawdust) or dry leaves

​Balancing Act:
When mixed with the high-carbon "sodust," manure helps achieve the ideal Carbon-to-Nitrogen (C:N) ratio (around 25:1 to 35:1) that speeds up the decomposition process and ensures the final product is stable and non-toxic to plants.

​2. Excellent Source of Essential Nutrients
​Complete Plant Food:
Manure is packed with macro-nutrients like Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), as well as essential micronutrients.

​Slow-Release Fertilizer:
Once composted, these nutrients are bound in a stable, organic form. They are released slowly over time as the compost breaks down further in the soil, providing a sustained food supply for plants that reduces the risk of nutrient runoff and pollution.
​3. Provides Microbial Diversity.

​Composting Activator:
Manure naturally contains the necessary microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) that initiate and sustain the composting process. It acts as a powerful activator, heating the pile and ensuring efficient decomposition.

​Soil Health Boost:
It introduces a diverse community of beneficial microbes to the compost, which then transfer to your soil. These organisms help fight plant diseases, mobilize nutrients, and create a robust "soil food web."

​4. Eliminates Pathogens and Weed Seeds (When Hot-Composted).

​Natural Sterilization:
During the composting process, especially the "hot composting" method, the internal temperature of the pile must reach high levels (up to 160°F or 70°C). This high heat effectively destroys most pathogens (disease-causing agents) and kills dormant weed seeds that may have been present in the raw manure or other ingredients.

​By using natural manure and allowing the process to reach maturity, you create a premium, eco-friendly soil amendment that dramatically improves the health and resilience of your land.
Dr Leonora Alberts Vilakazi

18/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZiGZYxYPT/

17/10/2025

I gained 3,389 followers, created 41 posts and received 96 reactions in the past 90 days! Thank you all for your continued support. I could not have done it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

16/10/2025

Permaculture and self-sustainability—protecting nature, addressing climate change, and giving back to the Universe :

​🌿 Your Role in the Social Change Ecosystem
​In the context of regenerative agriculture and ecological work, your role is fluid and multi-faceted:
​Earth Care (Protection & Resilience):

Step in as an experimenter to innovate new climate-resilient farming techniques (e.g., drought-tolerant species) and as a healer to actively mend damaged ecosystems through soil restoration and rewilding
​People Care (Community & Empowerment): Act as a guide to teach permaculture ethics and practical skills, and as a caregiver to build supportive, anti-burnout communities centered on joy and mutual aid.

​Fair Share (Systemic Change): Serve as a visionary by imagining and designing fully localized, closed-loop economic models. Use your voice as a Storyteller and Disrupter to challenge industrial waste and advocate for policy shifts that enable true self-sufficiency. Finally, be a Builder to implement the tangible local projects, like community gardens and resource-sharing networks, that bring the vision to life.

​👩🏾‍🌾 Why Land Rights and Rural Investment are Essential
​Achieving global sustainability requires focusing on equity, liberation, justice, and solidarity, particularly by empowering women and investing in rural areas.

​1. The Importance of Giving Women Land 🔑
​Secure land rights for women are an indispensable strategic component of sustainability efforts, moving beyond social justice to drive concrete ecological outcomes:

​Boosted Productivity and Food Security:
Women are the backbone of farming globally.
When they have secure control over land, they are significantly more likely to invest in long-term, sustainable practices like composting and permaculture, leading to higher yields and better, more diverse crop production, which directly improves family nutrition and food security.
​Enhanced Climate Resilience: Women often possess deep traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about local biodiversity, seed preservation, and water management. Granting them agency over the land ensures this critical, place-based knowledge is prioritized in decision-making for climate adaptation.
​Economic Empowerment: Land ownership provides women with a vital economic asset for accessing credit and capital. This increases their bargaining power in the home and community, thereby reducing poverty and allowing them to invest more resources into their families and the land itself.

​2. The Importance of Investing in Rural Communities 🏘️
​Investment in rural communities—where the frontlines of both environmental degradation and ecological stewardship reside—is critical for global resilience:

​Ecosystem Stewardship:
Rural communities are the direct stewards of the world's most vital natural resources (forests, watersheds, and farmlands). Investing in them promotes practices that safeguard biodiversity and the ecosystems that regulate the global climate.

​Local Solutions for Global Impact:
Investments enable these communities to apply their localized expertise, aligning with the Experimenter and Frontline Responder roles. This fosters place-based, culturally appropriate solutions that are more effective and resilient than top-down mandates.

​Direct Climate Adaptation: Targeted investment in local infrastructure (e.g., water harvesting, decentralized renewable energy, sustainable housing) helps rural populations directly adapt to and mitigate the increasing shocks of climate change, such as droughts and extreme weather events.
Dr Leonora Alberts Vilakazi