Zakhe Khuzwayo
Nominee's Province:
Kwazulu-natal
Age:
29
Project Name/Description:
Founder: The Men Carve Organisation
The rising levels of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa became too difficult for Zakhe Khuzwayo to ignore, prompting him to take action. In 2020, he founded The Men Carve Organisation, registered as both an NPC and NPO. While pursuing a Master’s degree in Business and Information Management at the Durban University of Technology, he continues to lead and drive the organisation’s activities. Khuzwayo says the main objective is “to embrace and promote healthy manhood to prevent GBV—especially men’s violence against women and girls, sexual assault, harassment, bullying, and other social ills related to gender relations.” Their vision, he adds, is to establish a safer environment for all women and girls, and to challenge how society typically socialises boys and girls. What sets his organisation apart is its focus on men as perpetrators of GBV, rather than framing women as victims. “If we do something to deal with the cause, it will mean women are not the only ones who have to do everything to be safe around men,” he explains. The organisation runs programmes to raise awareness among male students on campuses. These include workshops, seminars, school and residence visits, and food parcel distributions. Khuzwayo plans to expand outreach to more schools, universities, churches, and both private and public sector institutions.
