Waarom Sommige Mans Gewelddadig Raak: UWK-Studie Onthul Die Wortels Van Geweld In Intieme Verhoudings
Dr Mpho Motseki by haar gradeplegtigheid in Desember by die UWK. Foto: Shelley Christians/UWKAlkoholmisbruik, jaloesie, die ervaring van mishandeling in die kinderjare en die woede oor afwesige vaders is sommige van die kwessies wat Suid-Afrikaanse mans daartoe dryf om geweld in intieme verhoudings (GIV) te pleeg, volgens ’n studie aan die Universiteit van die Wes-Kaap (UWK) wat onder manlike oortreders uitgevoer is.
Die navorsing is uitgevoer deur dr Mpho Motseki van die Departement Vroue- en Genderstudies en was gerig op die ervarings en perspektiewe van mans in tronke wat aan GIV skuldig bevind is. Die studie het korrektiewe sentrums regoor die land betrek.
Deur onderhoude met 20 oortreders het die studie bevind dat woede, romantiese onsekerheid wat deur vermoedens van ontrouheid aangevuur is, blootstelling aan mishandeling op ’n jong ouderdom en ’n gebrek aan positiewe manlike rolmodelle of vaderfigure, dikwels ’n rol in hulle gewelddadige gedrag in hulle latere lewe gespeel het.
Dr Motseki, ’n dosent aan die Universiteit van Mpumalanga, wat die navorsing as deel van haar PhD uitgevoer het, sê dat die meeste studies op vroue se ervarings van mishandeling fokus, terwyl min aandag geskenk word aan waarom mans die plegers van GIV word. Haar studie het die komplekse sosiale, emosionele en persoonlike faktore wat tot mishandelende gedrag bydra, ondersoek.
Sy het bevind dat, hoewel die mans erken dat geweld teenoor vroue verkeerd is, talle bedreig voel deur gendergelykheid, wat hulle as ’n uitdaging van hulle maskuliniteit beskou.
Weens die alomteenwoordigheid van vrouemoord, veral GIV, in Suid-Afrika, wou dr Motseki weet waardeur die oortreders gedryf word om geweld teen hulle lewensmaats te pleeg. “Ek het besef dat talle studies gerig is op die vroulike oorlewendes van GIV en hulle verhale, maar ek het gedink dat dit vir my belangrik was om die fokus na die oortreders te verskuif, om antwoorde oor waarom hulle geweld teen hulle lewensmaats pleeg, te bekom. Dit is nie daarop gemik om die stemme van vroulike slagoffers en oorlewendes ongeldig te verklaar nie, maar om herviktimisering te vermy en die oortreders direk te betrek om hulle denkproses en die oorsake van hulle gewelddadige gedrag teenoor hulle lewensmaats, te probeer verstaan,” sê sy.
Hoewel trauma in die kinderjare en middelmisbruik ’n rol in die oortreders se gedrag gespeel het, sê dr Motseki dat dit blyk dat die norme van die samelewing oënskynlik ’n groot rol in die beïnvloeding van hierdie mans speel, “weens sosialisering wat in hetero-patriargie gewortel is”.
“Mans in hierdie studie het nie hulle lewensmaats as gelykes beskou nie, maar as hulle dienaars en het hulle ook geobjektiveer en gevoel dat hulle beheer en eienaarskap oor hulle het. Volgens hulle het vroue geen agentskap nie,” sê sy.
Die studie het bevind dat kulturele en godsdienstige oortuigings dikwels mans se gevoel van oorheersing versterk het, deur hulle as natuurlike leiers binne verhoudings te posisioneer. Dit het ook verskille in ingesteldheid op grond van ouderdom en die tyd wat in die tronk deurgebring is, blootgelê. Ouer deelnemers, veral diegene wat vir langer tydperke in die tronk was, en herhaalde oortreders, het opmerklik minder berou oor hulle dade getoon. In teenstelling, was jonger deelnemers meer geneig om spyt uit te spreek en die skade wat hulle veroorsaak het, te erken. Die jongste deelnemer was 29 en die oudste 55, en hulle vonnisse was tussen ses maande en 25 jaar.
Dr Motseki sê dat die bevindings uitlig hoe belangrik dit is om verder as oortreders se lewens voor en gedurende die pleeg van die oortreding te kyk en meer noukeurige aandag te skenk aan hulle ervarings van rehabilitasie in die tronk. Sy noem dat, hoewel sommige mans rehabilitasieprogramme as nuttig beskou het, ander tronkstraf ervaar het as iets wat gewelddadige ingesteldhede vererger het, eerder as om dit versag.
Hoewel die Departement van Korrektiewe Dienste inisiatiewe soos onderwys, vakopleiding en ondersteuning vir geestesgesondheid ingestel het, toon die studie dat hierdie pogings versterk en meer konsekwent geïmplementeer moet word.
Voortdurende probleme in die tronke, soos oorbevolking, geweld, personeeltekorte, hoë terugvalkoerse en swak geriewe, ondermyn dikwels rehabilitasie en kan, in sommige gevalle, selfs gewelddadige ingesteldhede vererger.
Die verbetering van die gehalte van rehabilitasieprogramme kan help om geweld in intieme verhoudings te verminder deur die grondoorsake daarvan aan te pak en langtermyngedragsverandering onder oortreders te ondersteun. Sy sê dat tronke pasgemaakte voorligting en geestesgesondheidsdienste, in die besonder gerig op traumagenesing en die opbou van veerkragtigheid om rehabilitasie en herintegrasie te ondersteun, moet aanbied om geweld te help verminder.
Dr Motseki, wat in Desember 2025 aan die UWK gegradueer het, het haar PhD opgedra aan haar oorlede broer, prof Morero Moses Motseki, ’n voormalige dosent aan die Vaal Universiteit van Tegnologie en die Tshwane Universiteit van Tegnologie, ter erkenning van sy liefde vir die akademie en die inspirasie wat hy aan haar gebied het om haar ambisies na te streef. In 2022 moes sy haar studies tydelik staak omdat sy weens hartseer oorweldig was, en sy het in 2024 weer daarmee begin.
By haar gradeplegtigheid het sy hulde gebring aan hom en verskeie familielede wat sy ook tydens haar PhD-studies verloor het, deur ’n spesiaal vervaardigde akademiese toga met afbeeldings van haar en die familielede wat sy verloor het, daarop. Dit sluit in haar oorlede ouers, sibbe en broers- en susterskinders.
In nadenke oor haar broer se invloed op haar studies, herroep sy sy woorde van aanmoediging: “Hy het dikwels vir my gesê: ‘Geskenk, van dié aan wie daar baie gegee is, word baie verwag, maar moenie vergeet dat die droom groter is en dat niemand dit alleen kan bereik nie.’”
Into eyenza ukuba amanye amadoda abe ndlongondlongo: Uphando olweNziwe
yiUWC lutyhila iiNgcambu zokuXhatshazwa liQabane umntu aThandana nalo
UGqr Mpho Motseki xa wayefumana isidanga sakhe eUWC ngenyanga yoMnga (Disemba). Umfanekiso: Shelley Christians/UWCUkusela ngokugqithiseleyo, umona, imeko yokuba wawukhe waxhatshazwa ebuntwaneni, nomsindo wootata abangazibonakalisiyo ebomini bomntu, yenye yemiba eyenza ukuba amadoda aseMzantsi Afrika axhaphaze yaye abe nobundlobongela kumaqabane awo (IPV), oko kufunyaniswe luphando olwenziwe yiYunivesithi yaseNtshona Koloni (UWC) kumadoda axhaphaze abasetyhini.
Olu phando olwenziwe nguGqr Mpho Motseki weSebe leZifundo ngaMakhosikazi naNgesini, belugxile kumava nezimvo zamadoda abanjiweyo, agwetyelwe ukuhlukumeza amaqabane awo kuwo onke amaziko oluleko elizwe.
Kudliwanondlebe olwenziwe namabanjwa angama20, uphando lufumanise ukuba umsindo, ukungathembi umntu othandana naye, ukubona uhlukumezo ngelaa xesha wawungumntwana, kunye nokunqongophala kwamadoda angumzekelo umntu anokukopa kuwo, okanye ukungabikho kwabantu abangootata ebomini bomntu, zezona zizinto zidlale indima yobundlongondlongo kubantu abangamadoda njengokuba besiya bekhula.
UGqr Motseki, ongumhlohli kwiYunivesithi yaseMpumalanga, oye wenza uphando njengenxalenye yePhD yakhe, uthe uphando oluninzi luye lugxile kwizinto ezehlele abantu abangoomama, yaye ayijongwa kakhulu into yokuba kutheni amadoda ehlukumeza amaqabane awo (IPV). Uphando lwakhe luye lwahlola imiba enzima yezentlalo, iimvakalelo naleyo ingqonge la madoda ebomini bawo ethe yanegalelo ekubeni abe ngabantu abahlukumezayo.
Ufumanise ukuba, noxa amadoda evuma ukuba ubundlobongela obujoliswe kwabasetyhini abulunganga, abaninzi baziva bengayithandi into kamakulingwane ngokwesini samadoda namakhosikazi, oku bakubona njengokucela umngeni kubudoda babo.
Ebona ukuxhaphaka kokuhlukunyezwa kwabasetyhini, ingakumbi abo bahlukunyezwa ngabalingane babo eMzantsi Afrika, uGqr Motseki ufune ukwazi ukuba yintoni le iqhuba amadoda ukuba ahlukumeze amaqabane awo. Uthe “Ndifumanise ukuba uphando oluninzi luye lugxile kumaxhoba angabantu abangoomama, kumanyelwa kuwo ikakhulu ukuba kwenzeke ntoni, kodwa ndiye ndacinga into yokuba kubalulekile ukuba sikhe sibuze apha kubahlukumezi ukuba yintoni le ibakhokelela kobu bundlobongela nempathombi kwabo bathandana nabo. Oku akuphikisani nezinto ezithethwa ngamaxhoba angabasetyhini kodwa ukuphepha ukuba le nto iphinde yenzeke kumaxhoba, ndibone kubalulekile ukuba ndiqonde indlela yokucinga kwabahlukumezi kwanokuba kusuke kuthini ukuze bavele bahlasele abalingane babo.”
Noxa uxinzelelo umntu awalufumana engumntwana noxhatshazo lweziyobisi zidlala indima ekuziphatheni kwabahlukumezi, uGqr Motseki uthi nezinto ezenzeka ekuhlaleni zinefuthe elikhulu kula madoda, “ngenxa yokuxelelwa ukuba kufanele ukuba kuphathe amadoda”.
Uthe, “Amadoda akolu phando ebengaboni abalingane babo njengabantu abalingana nabo ngokwesini, kodwa ebebabona njengabantu abafanele ukukhonza bona yaye bebeziva ngathi ngababo yaye kufuneka kwenzeke into efunwa ngabo njengamadoda. Ngokunokwabo, abantu basetyhini abanandima.”.
Olu phando lufumanise ukuba iinkolelo zenkcubeko nezeenkonzo zizo ezikhuthaza ezi ngcinga zamadoda zokulawula ngokubaxelela ukuba kufanele ukuba ibe ngabo abakhokelayo kubudlelwane bezothando. Kananjalo luye lwabonisa iindlela zokucinga ezingafaniyo ngokweminyaka nexesha elichithwe entilongweni.
Abathathinxaxheba abadala, ekukudala besetrongweni nabo babuyela okwesibini, bebengabonisi kukhathala ngento abayenzileyo. Kambe ke, aba basakhulayo bebevakalisa ukuzisola nokuqonda umonakalo abawenzileyo. Oyena mthathinxaxheba mncinci kolu phando ebeneminyaka engama29 ze oyena mdala abe neminyaka engama55, ebebenezigwebo eziphakathi kweenyanga ezintandathu ukuya kwiminyaka engama25 bethothoza entilongweni.
UGqr Motseki uthe olu phando luqaqambisa ukujonga iimeko ezizezinye ngaphandle kwezo zobomi babo babanjiweyo nezinto ebezisenzeka xa bebesenza elo tyala, kunye nokujonga amava abo okubuyiselwa kwizimo zabo ngeli lixa besetrongweni. Uye waqaphela ukuba, noxa amanye amadoda ebona ezi nkqubo zobuyiselo lwezimo njengeziluncedo, abanye bathe intillongo yenze ukuba babe ndlongodlongo ngakumbi endaweni yokucutha obo bundlobongela kubo.
Ngeli lixa iSebe leeNkonzo zoLuleko liqale amaphulo afana nawemfundo, uqeqesho kwizakhono nenkxaso yempilo yengqondo, uphando lubonise ukuba le mizamo idinga ukuqiniswa yaye ihlale imiselwa.
Imingeni yasentilongweni eqhubekekayo, efana nokugcwala kwazo, uhlukumezo, ukunqongophala kwabasebenzi, izinga eliphezulu lwabo baphinda benze amatyala nezibonelelo ezingekho ntle, ayincedisi ekulungiseni izimo zamabanjwa yaye, kwezinye iimeko, ibenza abanye babe ziindlobongela ngakumbi.
Ukuphucula umgangatho weenkqubo zokubuyiselwa kwezimo kumabanjwa kunganceda ukucutha ubundlobongela obujoliswe kumaqabane ngokuthi kujoliswe koonobangela babo, kananjalo kuxhaswe iinkqubo eziza kutshintsha indlela yokuziphatha kwabo benze obu bundlobongela. Uthe, iintilongo kufuneka zibonelele ngeenkonzo zokucebisa nokujonga izimo zengqondo ukucutha ubundlobongela, kugxilwe ekupholiseni izinto ebekhe adlula kuzo la madoda, kananjalo kwakhiwe ukomelela emntwini ukuxhasa ululeko nokubuyiselwa kwesimo somntu.
UGqr Motseki, owafumana isidanga sakhe eUWC yoMnga (Disemba) 2025, uye wanikezela iPhD kumnakwabo owaswelekayo, uNjing Morero Moses Motseki, owayengumhlohli eVaal University of Technology naseTshwane University of Technology, ngenxa yendlela awayethanda ngayo izifundo nenkuthazo awamnika yona ukuba aphumeze amaphupha akhe. Ngo2022 kwafuneka azimise izifundo zakhe ngenxa yokonganyelwa yintlungu, waphinda waqalisa ngo2024.
Xa wayefumana isidanga sakhe, uye wabulela umnakwabo kunye namanye amalungu osapho awathi waphulukana nawo ngexesha esenza iPhD, wakwenza oko ngegawuni eyayithungwe ngendlela eyahlukileyo, eyayineembuso ezifakwe imifanekiso, owakhe kunye nowazo zonke izizalwane ezathi zamshiya. Kuzo, kukho abazali bakhe abaswelekayo, oodade wabo, abanakwabo nabatshana.
Ekhumbula ifuthe lomnakwabo kwizifundo zakhe, ukhumbule amazwi akhe enkuthazo: “Wayedla ngokuthi kum, ‘Geskenk, umntu onikiweyo, kulindeleke olukhulu kuye, kodwa ungalibali ukuba, iphupha lona likhulu, yaye akukho mntu unokuliphumeza eyedwa.’”
Image: Adobe StockphotosAlcohol abuse, jealousy, experiencing childhood abuse, and anger of having absent fathers are some of the issues that are driving South African men to commit intimate partner violence (IPV), a University of the Western Cape (UWC) study conducted among male offenders has found.
The research that has been conducted by Dr Mpho Motseki from the Department of Women and Gender Studies, focused on the experiences and perspectives of incarcerated men convicted of IPV across correctional centres in the country.
Through interviews with 20 offenders, the study found that anger, romantic insecurity driven by suspicions of infidelity, exposure to abuse at a young age, and lack of positive male role models or father figures, often played a role in their violent behaviour later in life.
Dr Motseki, a lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga, who conducted the research as part of her PhD, said most studies focused on women’s experiences of abuse, while little attention is paid to why men become perpetrators of IPV. Her study examined the complex social, emotional and personal factors that contribute to abusive behaviour.
She found that although the men acknowledged that violence against women is wrong, many felt threatened by gender equality, which they viewed as a challenge to their masculinity.
Persuaded by the pervasiveness of femicide, especially IPV in South Africa, Dr Motseki wanted to know what drove perpetrators to commit violence against their partners. “I have realised that many studies focused on female IPV survivors in getting their accounts, but I thought it is important to shift the focus to perpetrators in getting answers to why they perpetrate violence against their intimate partners. This is not to invalidate the voices of female victims and survivors but to avoid revictimisation and directly engaging perpetrators to understand their thought process and what causes them to act violently towards their intimate partners,” she said.
Dr Mpho Motseki during her graduation at UWC in December. Image: Shelley Christians/UWCWhile childhood trauma and substance abuse played a role in perpetrators’ behaviour, Dr Motseki said societal norms seemed to play a huge role in influencing these men, “due to socialisation that is rooted in hetero patriarchy”.
“Men in this study were not regarding their partners as equals but as their servers and objectified them as well as feeling they own and control them. According to them, women do not have agency,” she said.
The study found that cultural and religious beliefs often reinforced men’s sense of dominance by positioning them as natural leaders within relationships. It also revealed differences in attitudes based on age and time spent in prison. Older participants, particularly those who had been incarcerated for longer periods and those who were repeat offenders, showed noticeably less remorse for their actions. In contrast, younger participants were more likely to express regret and acknowledge the harm they had caused. The youngest study participant was 29 and the oldest was 55, sentenced to between six months and 25 years.
Dr Motseki said the findings highlight the importance of looking beyond offenders’ lives before and during the commission of the offence, and paying closer attention to their experiences of rehabilitation while in prison. She noted that while some men viewed rehabilitation programmes as helpful, others experienced incarceration as something that worsened violent attitudes rather than reducing them.
While the Department of Correctional Services has introduced initiatives such as education, vocational training and mental health support, the study shows that these efforts need to be strengthened and more consistently implemented.
Ongoing prison challenges, such as overcrowding, violence, staff shortages, high re-offending rates and poor facilities, often undermine rehabilitation and, in some cases, may even worsen violent attitudes.
Improving the quality of rehabilitation programmes could help reduce intimate partner violence by tackling its root causes and supporting long-term behavioural change among offenders. She said prisons should provide tailored counselling and mental health services to help reduce violence, with a focus on trauma healing and building resilience to support rehabilitation and reintegration.
Dr Motseki, who graduated from UWC in December 2025, dedicated her PhD to her late brother, Prof Morero Moses Motseki, a former lecturer at the Vaal University of Technology and the Tshwane University of Technology, in recognition of his love for academia and the inspiration he gave her to pursue her ambitions. In 2022 she had to pause her studies after being overcome with grief, and restarted in 2024.
On her graduation she paid tribute to him, along with several family members that she had lost during her PhD journey, through a custom-made gown that carried the printed faces of herself and the relatives that she lost. These include her late parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.
Reflecting on her brother’s influence on her studies, she recalled his words of encouragement: “He used to say to me, ‘Geskenk, to whom much is given, much is expected, but don’t forget that the dream is bigger, and no one can achieve it alone.’”
@uwconline Part 2 : When Dr Mpho Cynthia Motseki stepped onto the graduation stage, she didn’t walk alone, her ancestors walked with her #IAmUWC #UWCGrad2025 ? Scott street x i know the end - micha
