Civil Society
26
The Men Carve
Website
At the age of 26, Zakhe Khuzwayo is the founder and president of The Men Carve, which focuses on the issues young people need to address concerning gender. While the main focus is on men, about 40% of participants in its events are women. The organisation’s goal is to fight gender-based violence in creative and innovative ways by cultivating healthy attitudes in the youth of South Africa. Zakhe also leads a food parcel programme that helps students with no bursaries and who have problems accessing funding and visits schools to help matriculants with university and college applications. He has spoken at community events. Zakhe completed his advanced diploma in business and information management at Durban University of Technology in 2022 and is studying for an advanced diploma. He was Student of the Year at the DUT Community Engagement Showcasing, Pitching and Excellence Awards 2022 and was nominated for a 2022 Vuna Leadership Academy Award in the category Community Engagement Student Champion. “The concept I had about being a man and what constitutes manhood is what I remember most from when I was younger,” Zakhe says. “Because I was raised in a household without a father figure, I learned what it means to be a man on the streets. This led me to believe being a man means being dominant, being emotionless and not asking for help … Even now, as I continue to relearn and learn things, I am aware of how many individuals today feel like I do because they lack brothers or fathers/mothers in their lives. I have a mission to change the world.”
- I graduated from high school in 2015 and was admitted to Durban University of Technology in 2018 for the Business and Information Management Extended Curriculum Program, which would require me to complete my diploma in four years rather than three as originally planned. I completed my studies for my diploma in 2021 and graduated in May of 2022 .
- I completed my studies for my advanced diploma in BIM in 2022 and I will graduate in May of this year.
- I’m pursuing a postgraduate in Business and Information Management this year.
The concept I had about being a man and what constitutes manhood is what I remember most from when I was younger. Because I was raised in a household without a father figure, I learned what it means to be a man on the streets. This led me to believe that being a man means being dominant, being emotionless, and not asking for help. As a result, I struggled as a young kid without a male role model. Even now, as I continue to relearn and learn things, I am aware of how many individuals today feel like I do because they lack brothers or fathers/mothers in their lives. I have a mission to change the world.
Be kind to yourself and be patient with yourself. You can do everything you want but not everything is beneficial to you. You are responsible for your own life. You are the one who gives your life meaning. Emotions have no gender, it’s okay to not be okay, it’s okay to cry and it means you are human, not weak.
A country without violence and crime, where everybody is treating one another with respect and kindness. Where all men and boys are loving and respectful and all women and girls are valued and safe.