As men in the Faculty of Health Sciences, we hang our heads in shame.

The tragic death of Uyinene (Nene) Mrwetyana, against the background of an ongoing epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence in our country, has rightly brought our Faculty and University to a standstill. This must be a turning point for our country: the maltreatment of womxn and girls across South Africa every day, including students and staff, is egregious. It is an indictment against us as men and the cultures of patriarchy and toxic masculinity that we perpetuate through our actions and in our silence.

Linked to this we acknowledge that in many of our classrooms, laboratories and offices in the Faculty of Health Sciences, womxn do not feel safe on a regular basis. Many womxn do not feel comfortable in public spaces, sharing lifts on campus with men, walking to their cars, or speaking alone with male staff. This is a direct reflection on us, and all the men on our campus and our society.

We must hold each other accountable every day. We take responsibility to listen and reflect, individually and collectively; to recognise and name our attitudes and behaviours, both implicit and explicit; and to change.

We unambiguously endorse a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and victimisation of womxn and gender-based violence. As part of this we invite all men in the Faculty to commit themselves to this statement of values.

Dr Marc Hendricks (Paediatrics/FHS TEC)
Prof Landon Myer (Public Health and Family Medicine)
Dr Greg Petro (Assistant Dean: Clinical Services)
Prof Ambroise Wonkam (Deputy Dean: Research)
Prof Graham Fieggen (Surgery)
Prof Ntobeko Ntusi (Medicine)
Prof Dan Stein (Psychiatry and Mental Health)
A/Prof Francois Cilliers (Health Sciences Education)
Prof Andrew Argent (Paediatrics)
A/Prof Lebogang Ramma (Health and Rehabilitation Sciences)
Prof Malcolm Collins (Human Biology)
Prof Edward David Sturrock (Integrative Biomedical Sciences)
Prof Raj Ramesar (Pathology)
Prof Rudzani Muloiwa (Ass Dean: Undergraduate Student Support)
Prof Steve Beningfield (Radiation Medicine)
Prof Stephen Reid (Primary Health Care)
 
Members of the Dean's Management Committee