How I became an activist

Christinah Mogobye

by Christinah Mogobye

My name is Christinah Mogobye from a big village called Sefikile. We are surrounded by the mines, and our closest mine is Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine in Swartklip. I am a survivor of GBV and also a GBV Activist. I was in an abusive relationship for four years and was in denial, and I always believed that I was the one in the wrong. I kept this abusive treatment secret because I didn’t want my family to find out, but eventually they knew about it, and I didn’t report the abuse either.

I would have found the support I needed and support from my loved ones, and also to report the violence I experienced, should I have disclosed it. I first noticed an injustice in 2021. My late neighbour brought to my attention that her friends are in abusive marriages, and they confided in her, hoping to get help as they were scared to do so, and she came to report the matter to me. We made an appointment with the ladies that we would be at the community centre, where we all felt it was a safe and convenient place for all, but they didn’t show up. We made another appointment, but they still didn’t pitch. I didn’t give up, as they eventually showed up. Their reasons were that they don’t want to anger their partners by involving other people in their private matters.

My envisioned change was to see them getting help, justice, support, and healing.

My action to bring about change was:

• Improved my learning skills in GBV, attending •Gender Lens and GBV workshops
• Organizing and hosting GBV events with the assistance of relevant stakeholders
• Spreading the message via dialogues and sessions.

I drew my strength for Activism through

• Prayer
• Support from my facilitator
• The Benchmarks’ monitoring school workshops also played a big part in growing me.
• Through the support from my community and the leaders of the community.