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Gender-based Violence (GBV) activist Cynthia Dinalane receives her South African Heroes Award in Auckland Park, Johannesburg on November 29, 2025.
Gender-based Violence (GBV) activist Cynthia Dinalane has been honored with her 10th award for opening a shelter for abused women and children in her home.
Dinalane received a South African Heroes Award in Auckland Park, Johannesburg over the weekend. This comes as the country is marking 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
Through her NGO, Tshegofatsa Rona Welfare in Kempton Park, East Rand, she has rehabilitated and empowered 150 women since 2019.
Among the international awards is the Humanitarian Global Award in Ghana and the African Humanitarian Award in Nigeria.
Dinalane says, “What inspired me is that there is a high rate of gender-based violence, it’s very high in our country and women and children are raped and killed every day and we have got limited shelters. So, I have opened my house, my own space, my children’s space to accommodate all the abused women and children in South Africa.”
She adds, “We give them skills development, we give the psychosocial support, it starts with the psychosocial support after you have accepted and after you have done everything that is when we start empowering you because you have accepted and you are going strong now and say I won’t carry this on my shoulders, I want to move forward’.”
‘CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE’
Dinalane has called for women to leave abusive relationships.
“We are calling that a circle of violence, because they beat you today and they buy you flowers tomorrow, so I want to say to those women out there, you know what, you can do something for yourself, stop depending on men because the minute you depend on a man that is why they are taking advantage of you.”
Her message to girls who have experienced rape is that its not the end of the world.
“They must go seek for help so that they can change their lives, remember when you are abused its like you are hooked somewhere, so you want them to be free to say that after every that has happened to then there is future.”
Dinalane has called for perpetrators of GBV to receive harsh measures from the Justice and Constitutional Department.
“A perpetrator must not get bail, a perpetrator must not get parole, they must stay there in jail and they must serve their sentences.”
PODCAST| Full interview with Dinalane:
