30/11/2025
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains one of the most urgent and devastating crises facing South Africa today. Behind every statistic lie real people, lives affected, families shattered, communities traumatised. In response to this crisis, the GBV Sevens Tournament was launched in the Breede Valley as a bold, community-driven initiative combining sport, education, and social mobilisation. The aim is to raise awareness, engage young men (who are often at risk of becoming perpetrators), and foster cultural change through unity and dialogue.
Recent research and crime data show that GBV remains widespread and deeply rooted in structural inequalities, harmful social norms, and economic hardship:
According to the first national GBV prevalence study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), more than 7.3 million South African women — aged 18 and older — have experienced physical violence during their lifetime.
The same survey reports that around 9.8% of women have experienced sexual violence.
Overall, about 1 in 3 South African women have experienced physical intimate-partner violence in their lifetime.
Despite a drop in some violent-crime categories during 2024, GBV-related crimes increased. Between July and September 2024 alone, there were 957 women murdered, 1,567 survived attempted murders, and 14,366 survived assaults resulting in grievous bodily harm.
The suffering extends beyond physical violence: emotional, psychological, and economic forms of abuse remain pervasive, often hidden but no less destructive.
These numbers underscore a harsh reality: GBV in South Africa is not only widespread — in many cases, it’s a life-and-death matter.
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Breede Valley noted an alarming rise in domestic-violence reporting. Around this time, Lt. Col. Sysie Pietersen of Worcester SAPS conceptualised an initiative aimed at tackling GBV not only through law enforcement, but also through community engagement and prevention.
Recognising that traditional awareness campaigns which include meetings in halls, seminars, or formal “talks” — often fail to reach young men (who may be at risk of becoming perpetrators), he reached out to community stakeholders: local government departments, NGOs, social-services organisations, and the sports community in the Breede Valley. Their shared concern about rising GBV, and belief in community-driven solutions, gave birth to the idea of a tournament, one that would combine sport, education, and public awareness.
In 2021, the first GBV Sevens Tournament took place, marking the beginning of what has become a community institution in the fight against GBV.
The GBV Sevens Tournament is more than just a sports event — it’s a strategically designed intervention.
The tournament specifically targets young adult males, who are considered vulnerable to becoming potential perpetrators of GBV owing to factors like unemployment, poverty, entrenched patriarchal norms, generational attitudes, and the influence of social media. As Lt. Col. Pietersen explains:
“We are targeting young adult males, who are vulnerable to becoming potential perpetrators of GBV due to the complexities of these crimes. Unemployment, poverty, patriarchy, misogyny increased by social media, generational impacts, and more. These young men don’t come to stakeholder awareness campaigns in halls.”
Team sports like rugby sevens demand discipline, collaboration, respect, and self-control, qualities that can be channelled into building positive behaviour and self-confidence. The tournament becomes a safe, familiar environment to reach and influence youth who might otherwise be unreachable through conventional outreach.
Beyond the games, the tournament includes public-education sessions led by representatives from SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Department of Social Development (DSD), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Department of Health (DoH), and various NGOs and social-work organisations. Topics include responsible sexuality, the dangers of using cellphones in criminal activity, domestic violence, sexual violence, economic abuse,and broader GBV issues. Over the years, many players and community members have been exposed to these messages.
The tournament’s success hinges on community buy-in. Local sponsors committed to youth development provide resources and prize money, while sporting administrators and clubs have embraced the cause. As a result, participation has grown, including teams from across multiple districts, showing that sport and collective responsibility, can indeed build bridges for social change.
Initiatives like GBV Sevens are vital for several reasons:
1. Reaching the Unreachable, Traditional awareness campaigns often miss young men detached from formal community forums. Sport offers an invitation many will accept.
2. Changing Norms Through Experience by embedding values like teamwork, respect, and accountability in a familiar setting, the tournament helps challenge harmful norms that underpin GBV.
3. Creating Safe Spaces for Dialogue The educational sessions alongside games foster honest conversations on difficult topics violence, consent, power dynamics in a context that feels less confrontational.
4. Building Community Ownership when local stakeholders clubs, NGOs, sponsors, and community leaders invest in the initiative, it becomes a shared responsibility, not just a policing or government exercise.
5. Symbol of Hope and Solidarity: Each year the tournament sends a strong message: “We see you. We support change. You are not alone.”
The statistics from national studies and recent crime reports paint a dire picture: GBV in South Africa remains pervasive, often deadly, and tragically normalized. But the story does not end with despair. The GBV Sevens Tournament demonstrates the power of innovation, community collaboration, and resilience.
By combining sport, education, and social mobilisation, GBV Sevens offers a model for how local communities can take ownership of the fight against GBV reaching young people directly, challenging toxic norms, and building a culture founded on respect, dignity, and accountability.
As we recognise the magnitude of South Africa’s GBV crisis, initiatives like GBV Sevens remind us that meaningful change is possible when communities unite with purpose and compassion
