As part of the UN Secretary-General’s campaign for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2023, entitled “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”, UNODC is showcasing its activities around the world that help to accelerate efforts to end violence against women and girls.
Today, we hear from the ‘Woman King’ of Thaba Nchu in South Africa, who is using her platform to address gender-based violence.
“They call me the woman king.”
Her Majesty, Kgosi Gaboilelwe Moroka of Barolong Boo Seleka, Thaba Nchu, in the Free State Province of South Africa, is indeed the first woman to be crowned as ruler of her tribe.
The Moroka dynasty began its rule in 1833, when Kgosi Gaboilelwe’s forefather moved to Thaba Nchu, purchased land from the Basotho King Moshoeshoe and settled his people. When her father passed, both of her brothers subsequently ascended the throne. Their own subsequent deaths led to a succession crisis.
Eventually, Kgosi Gaboilelwe prevailed in court and was coronated in September 2022. She has since used her platform as “the Woman King” to address societal issues affecting woman, including gender-based violence, reproductive rights, maternal health, and more.
The Woman King
But what exactly is a “Woman King”?
Kgosi Moroka’s role is no different from what you might imagine from monarchs such as Charles III of the United Kingdom or Rama IX of Thailand. “As a woman king, I understand that I am a woman and will never be a man,” she shrugs. “But I execute my duties as a woman, no less than a man would.”
Gaboilelwe says that a Kgosi is a jack of all trades: “First comes taking care of the people and the preservation of culture and heritage. But as the mother of the nation, you are an educator, a doctor, a social worker, a policeman, everything.
Even if you work on governance and social issues, it is always about the people, being a parent, and safeguarding your family.”
They took the dispute to the courts. “It took ten years. My mother wanted to give up, and that might be why they call me the woman king. I said: ‘I will fight for this. I will fight like a warrior even if It means fighting alone.’ I was thinking back to the tribal wars when our family settled here. It felt like the times of spears and shields, except different kinds of spears and shields. We went to war, came out victorious and the royal family trusted leadership on me.”And Kgosi Gaboilelwe takes her responsibility to protect her family very seriously.
As a princess, she ran the Princess Gabo Foundation, an organization focusing on maternal and child health. Various youth programs run by the organization included providing responsible reproductive and sexual education.
Talking about a taboo topic
In 2016, while still a princess, Kgosi Gaboilelwe’s interest in sexual and reproductive health motivated her to address gender-based violence. She helped lead a series of community level dialogues called “Women Let’s Talk – Basadi a re bueng”.
But she found herself frustrated and surprised at the reluctance of participants to speak up during the sessions.
“Women could not utter a word or even answer a simple question during the dialogue, because it was deemed taboo,” she says. “They weren’t comfortable talking about issues that affect their own health. We resorted to having an anonymous box for questions or comments - which showed me how critical it was to address the issue.”
To Kgosi Gaboilelwe, gender-based violence “is any situation where you feel violated. It is not just physical or only women, children, or LGBTQ+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others] people who have experienced violence, but men as well.”
The Woman King wants to have a ‘mindset’ change in Africa around gender equality. “We need to build harmony between genders so there is no competition. But when we say harmonize, it doesn’t mean playing into patriarchy.
Women have the right to assume leadership roles, but let her do so in her own power and femininity, and let men do it in their own masculinity and find balance.”
She is now working with the Ministry of Social Development, who visited Thaba Nchu for a 3-day dialogue on gender-based violence. Five hundred people attended the opening prayer, three hundred came to the dialogues, and they now have 142 ambassadors in their villages to address and prevent gender-based violence.
“We need a permanent presence,” Kgosi Gaboilelwe declares. “Soldiers on the ground who address local issues with local solutions.”
UNODC and responding to gender-based violence
Engaging traditional communities can bring culturally sensitive solutions to gender-based violence. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) engagements with traditional leaders in Southern Africa on responding to gender-based violence began in August 2022, during Women’s Month in South Africa. UNODC hosted an event with the Limpopo leadership and the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services to highlight the high incidence of femicide in the country. Since then, the National House of Traditional Leadership, the Royal Network of Princesses and the Woman King have solidified a relationship with UNODC.
UNODC’s Southern Africa office is currently finalizing a Quick Reference Guide on integrated responses to gender-based violence by traditional leadership and government sectors, in collaboration with Traditional Leadership, the South African Ministry of Justice and the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services. The guide will be released in 2024.
The global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls. It runs from 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day.
Comprehensive and multi-sectoral solutions are required to end all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.2. Crime prevention and criminal justice responses are a key part of this approach. Learn more about UNODC’s work on gender-based violence here.
