Fighting against erasure: the one in nine campaign and feminist movement building against sexual violence

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dc.contributor.advisorGouws, Amandaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorDlakavu, Simamkeleen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-05T10:31:23Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-26T09:16:42Z
dc.date.available2024-03-05T10:31:23Z
dc.date.available2024-04-26T09:16:42Z
dc.date.issued2024-03
dc.description Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: The rape trial against Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s former deputy president and deputy president of the governing party – the African National Congress, in 2006 drew wide social, media and political attention. The story of a powerful politician accused of sexual violence is not an unusual occurrence globally nor was it exceptional in South Africa. Unfortunately, South Africa has one of the world’s leading cases of sexual violence. However, what was truly profound about this political moment in history, which has not been sufficiently explored and studied in the field of social movement scholarship in South Africa, is the story of the feminist political response that was ignited by the rape trial. This response came from the One in Nine Campaign – a boldly feminist social movement organisation that was formed to demonstrate tangible, active, and intersectional solidarity with the rape survivor, Fezekile “Khwezi” Kuzwayo, as well as other women sexual violence survivors in South Africa. Guided by the New Social Movement and African Feminist theories, this study is a feminist social movement political biographical history of the One in Nine Campaign, and its political framings, strategies, and repertoires of action. Through qualitative feminist methodologies and a historical analysis, using primary archival research from the archives of the One in Nine Campaign and thirteen in-depth interviews with its members (past and present), this study documents the Campaign’s feminist political mobilisation that has lasted almost two decades. The study’s results indicate that the One in Nine Campaign sought to insert an intersectional feminist agenda in the struggle against the sexual violence crisis in South Africa by strategically focusing on sexual survivor programmes, feminist political education and arts activism for consciousness-raising, as well as direct action as part of movement building. The findings reveal that these strategic and political efforts led to and inspired a new wave of feminist movement building in South Africa, engaging in political direct action in sites such as universities and in relation to the #TotalShutdown movement. This is a movement that forced the state, through direct action and protest, to acknowledge that sexual violence is indeed a “pandemic” which demanded political intervention from the state. The findings also reveal contemporary challenges that impact feminist social movements against sexual violence in South Africa such as erasure, movement decline and economic precarity, caused by factors such as a lack of long-term and unrestricted funding and activist burnout which challenge movement sustainability. The focus on the political history of the One in Nine Campaign broadens the views of the ways in which feminists organise and mobilise in democratic South Africa. This dissertation therefore contributes to existing scholarship and a better understanding of social movements and gender in an African context.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verkragtingsaak teen Suid-Afrika se vorige vise-president en die vise-president van die regerende party – die African National Congress - Jacob Zuma in 2006 het groot opspraak verwek op sosiale media en het groot politieke aandag getrek. Die storie van ‘n magtige politikus wat beskuldig word van seksuele geweld is nie uniek in die wêreld nie en so ook nie in Suid-Afrika nie. Suid-Afrika het een van die wêreld se hoogste verkragtingstatistiek. Wat egter van groot belang was rondom hierdie geskiedkundige oomblik, en wat nie genoegsaam ondersoek is in die veld van sosiale bewegingnavorsing nie, is die feministiese respons wat ontketen is deur die hofsaak. Hierdie feministiese respons van die One in Nine Campaign, wat ‘n feministiese beweging sonder skroom is, is gevorm is om tasbare, aktiewe en interseksionele solidariteit met die verkragtingslagoffer, Fezekile “Khwezi” Kuzwayo en ander slagoffers van seksuele geweld in Suid-Afrika te betoon. Gelei deur die teorie op sosiale bewegings en feministiese teorie het ek ‘n oorspronklike bydrae gemaak tot die biografiese geskiedenis van die One in Nine Campaign, sy politieke formulerings, strategieë, en repertoire van aksie. Geen soortgelyke studie is vantevore gedoen nie. Met kwalitatiewe feministiese metodologie en ‘n historiese benadering, gebaseer op primêre argiefmaterial van die beweging en 13 in diepte onderhoude met lede van die One in Nine Campaign (huidige en vorige) dokumenteer ek die beweging se langtermyn en uitgerekte feministiese politieke mobilisasie wat oor twee dekades plaas gevind het. Die studie se resultate dui aan dat die One in Nine Campaign gepoog het om ‘n feministiese agenda in die stryd teen die seksuele geweldkrisis in te sluit deur strategies te fokus op oorleweraarprogramme, feministiese politieke opvoeding en kunsaktivisme met die doel om bewustheid oor seksuele geweld te kweek. Ek kyk ook na protes wat bygedra het om die beweging op te bou. Die studie se bevindinge wys dat hierdie strategiese en politieke pogings gelei het tot ‘n feministies geinspireerde nuwe golf van feministiese aktivisme in Suid-Afrika wat betrokke was by protes (direkte aksie) in plekke soos universiteite en dat dit het ook bygedrahet tot die #TotalShutDown beweging. Hierdie beweging het deur direkte aksie en protes die staat gedwing om te erken dat seksuele geweld ‘n pandemie is wat politieke intervensie van die staat vereis. In hierdie studie word die ongedokumenteerde aktiewe intervensies van die One in Nine Campaign opgeteken om te wys dat dit bygedra het tot die eerste Nasionale Stratetiese Plan op Geslagsgebaseerde Geweld en Moord op Vroue (femicide). Die studie se bevindinge wys ook op hedendaagse uitdagings van sosiale bewegings teen seksuele geweld in Suid-Afrika soos uitwissing (erasure), bewegingsafname en ekonomiese onsekerheid, wat veroorsaak word deur die gebrek aan langtermyn en onbeperkte befondsing en die emosionele uitbranding van aktiviste wat die volhoubaarheid van bewegings bedreig. Die fokus op die politieke geskiedenis van die One in Nine Campaign verbreed ons kennis van die maniere waarop feministiese organisasies in demokratiese Suid-Afrika mobiliseer. Die proefskrif dra daartoe by om die gaping tussen bestaande literatuur op sosiale bewegingsnavorsing en gendernavorsing te oorbrug.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentxi, 186 pages : illustrations
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130209
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshIntimate partner violenceen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshFamily violenceen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshFeminism -- Historyen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshGender-based violenceen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSocial movements -- Womenen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshWomen -- Crimes against -- Preventionen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshWomen -- Violence against -- Preventionen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshKuzwayo, Fezekileen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshRapeen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshZuma, Jacoben_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleFighting against erasure: the one in nine campaign and feminist movement building against sexual violenceen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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