Instinct

So around 4am, I was half-asleep when I heard my brother-in-law moving around the house. My instinct for self-preservation kicked in, but my brain didn't. So all I processed was "someone who doesn't live here is in the house!"' I ran to my bedroom door to make sure it was closed, then started screaming my head off. Woke up Baby and my little nephew, and really scared my brother-in-law. Poor guy had to get me to calm down, and then help calm the kids. Lord, I feel silly now!

Anyhoo, Baby is spending the day with me. Today she said : "I don't read South African books. They're boring," when I told her about Read SA. So i put a question to the group as to what I should do to encourage Baby to read SA books, and got some very good book recommendations from members. Check out the list on the READ SA Facebook page, and also add your own recommendations.

Finished converting and loading the promo videos for the "Love - Stories in a time of HIV & AIDS" series on Youtube. Check the 10 promo videos here on the YouTube channel. Love stories starts broadcasting in SA with Umtshato- The Wedding, as the sarting film, and in Botswana on the 1st April with Second Chances as the launch film. Other countries have already begun broadcasting the series.

And now that I've finished with tedious non-writing tasks, I'm going knuckle down and go on another writing marathon.

Why Broadband Threatens Mass Media

One of the challenges I face when talking to my clients about the value of online communication versus broadcasting, is the issue of reach. How many South Africans can they potentially reach online? Is having web presence good value for money, or something that they should do because gurus tell them they should, and maybe years down the line they're going to start getting the benefit?

Indra de lanerolle has written a very interesting article, looking at Why Broadband Threatens Mass Media.

Read it, and tell me what you think.

Google Setswana Coming In June

Working to the beat of OneLove music videos from Malawi. I don't understand half the stuff they're saying, as I don't speak the language, but I have to say the music rocks! I'm enjoying much more than I expected, and nope, I'm not just saying that because it's mu job to promote OneLove:-)

Read on Botswana's Sunday Standard that Google will be available for full function in Setswana language in June. Yay!

As some of you might know, I am Motswana, and it will be nice to have access Google functionality in my own language.

And if you have a minute, please vote on my poll on whether an affair can be a cry from a partner who wants to get caught so you can work on a relationship, or whether that excuse is so much hooey!


Enjoy your weekend!

Tedius Tasks & Fake Money

Today I'm mostly doing stuff that doesn't really qualify as writing. I'm:

• Learning to create a sub-domain and mini web site on a WordPress blog. Need to move some content to it as a matter of urgency.
• Uploading new music videos and short film promos on YouTube. My poor bandwidth!
• Captioning photos and uploading them on Facebook albums.

The work needs to be done. But some of it can really be tedious!

And on the life front: tried to deposit some cash into a bank account and the bank said one of the R100 notes was a fake. Bleh! Now I have to go back to the tenant who paid me and ask him to pay me again. I know he has no idea he gave me fake money. Still, it is a problem......

As for me, I was very grateful that the bank accepted I was an unsuspecting bystander and didn't think I was trying to pass fake notes. That's a criminal offense, isn't it?

Are You Attending Read SA's “Meet the Writers” London Event?

Read SA invites you to “Meet the Writers” at a special event in London the day after the conclusion of the London Book Fair.

Join SA authors at The Meat & Wine Co., Westfield London, on Thursday April 22 at 7pm (click here for map).

Your hosts will be the South African writers Imraan Coovadia, Siphiwo Mahala, Angela Makholwa, Thando Mgqolozana, Kgebetli Moele, Ndumiso Ngcobo, Fiona Snyckers, Zukiswa Wanner and more!

Bookings are just £90 per person and include a three-course meal and seating at a writer’s table. All proceeds from the event go to Read SA, a registered non-profit organisation that aims to boost the profile of South African writing locally and abroad.

Write to ReadSouthAfrica@gmail.com for details and to book. We look forward to welcoming you in London!

Interviewed on Female2Female

I hope you had a nice long weekend? Mine was great: I managed to sleep in on Saturday morning, and spent most of the weekend puttering around my house and garden, or with friends.

I did manage to do some work - did an interview with Laura at Female2female about me, the work I do etc. The interview was published today.

Check it out.

You might even learn a few random things about me:-). And enjoy the rest of your day!

The Questions I'm Asking Today

Today I'm hosting some discussions on web sites and blogs I work on. Join us if you have a minute:

READ SA -It's time to sleep, but the book you're reading is very absorbing and you don't want to put it down. What would you normally do? Count sheep or continue to read? Have your say.

OneLove - you're in the throes of passion with the love of your life, and at the critical moment, he/she says she doesn’t have a condom but he/she’s free of sexually transmitted infections and recently tested. What would you do?

Phuza Wize -What can you do, if anything, to encourage your friends and family to drink safely, and live safely? Share some tips.

Kwanda -It's been more than 3 months since the Kwanda TV series ended. What have you done so far to help improve your community?

Other than chatting online, I'm writing some content for a web site for relief workers, and am planning to upload a couple of articles on Ezine Articles to promote sites.

Enjoy your weekend!

Can't Wait For The Long Weekend

I'm a bit sad that my vegetable garden is beginning to be eroded as Autumn starts. I really enjoyed being able to look at it all day while I'm working, and to spend time pottering in it.
But I have already planted a few things for the winter crop, so in general, all should be well.

Feeling tired, and a tad brain dead. But that's just normal for me after a writing marathon. Can't wait for the long weekend!

Check Out "Soul City" On Monday

Finally, I can give more details about the Phuza Wize campaign and Soul City series 10, the TV series linked to the campain.

This season of Soul City serves as a vehicle for the national Phuza Wize campaign. The dramatic storyline of Soul City Series 10 illustrates the disastrous effects of alcohol abuse and violence, issues which many viewers know all too well.

Soul City series 10 will be broadcast every Monday from 22 March 2009 on SABC 1 at 20h30.

Check out the promo



Check out the premier episode on Monday night if you have some time.

If you're a Soul City fan, you can sign up here.

How to Write: Tips from Margie Orford

In 7th installment of READ SA's "How To Write" series, Margi Orford shares some writing tips with us. Margie Orford is best-known as a crime writer. Her books in the Clare Hart series include Daddy's Girl, Like Clockwork, and Blood Rose.

She has also written Fabulously 40 and Beyond (with Karin Schimke), Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism: Stories from the Developing World (with Stefan Raubenheimer) and Fifteen Men (with the inmates of the Groot Drakenstein prison).


Read Margie's tips.

What Would You Do?

When I was 19 years old, nearing the end of my third year at university, my childhood sweetheart confessed that he had made someone else pregnant. He said he was sorry; the affair was a big mistake; he loved me but was unfaithful because my school was over 350km away from home and he was lonely. He asked me to forgive him and promised never to be unfaithful again.

I think the thing that scared me silly was that I believed that he loved me as he said, whatever his definition of love was. And I believed he really was sorry that he hurt me. Given a chance, we could have swept the affair under a rug ( or attributed it to youthful stupidity, as many adults in both our families were happy to.) I would have graduated and we would marry and raise children and live as many South African couples do.

But, I chose to walk away (that too was called youthful stupidity on my part), because I believed that however he felt about me, he was going to continue to discretely have affairs. And I wouldn't be able to do anything about it, because his actions were being tacitly endorsed with" men always cheat on their partners, and if you find one who takes care of you and is discrete, be grateful." I believed, and still do, that I deserved better than that kind of dubious respect.

Anyhoo, I haven't thought about this piece of my history for a very long time ( and no, I wasn't scarred much by it.:-) Then today I started doing a poll on OneLove asking "Would You Marry Your Man If You Found Out That He Made Someone Else Pregnant?" and it struck me that I've been there, made the decision and have no regrets. So I'm asking you: what would you do? Please tell me by taking the poll? Also, what would it take to convince you to forgive and try to rebuild your relationship?

Other than thinking too much about history, I'm doing great. Writing, thinking, reading, chatting to Baby about my upcoming trip to visit her during the school holidays and planning my winter garden.

Boy UnInterrupted - Call For Submissions

Just found a blog called Boy Uninterrupted and the author has published a list of South African publishers who current have calls for submission for fiction works.

Check out the post.

I hope my writing friends who regularly visit this blog find potential homes for their works in this list. Good luck ladies!

We Live On In The Memories Of Our Friends & Loved Ones

An 11-year old daughter of an old friend of mine from university got in touch with me today through Facebook and started chatting me up. We spent about an hour finding common ground, and talked about our dogs, the fact that she was in bed with a stomach bug and what I was doing in Facebook. She tried to teach me to use Facebook's IM better, including creating emicons.

It was a fun, if unexpected experience, because I knew the girl existed but we've never met her /spoken to her before. I haven't seen my friend for more than 15 years, though we are connected on Facebook. And yet to her daughter, I'm just one more aunt who can keep her company.

Anyhoo, it made me realise that we live on in the memories of our friends and loved ones, long after they no longer see us ( whether by circumstance or death). Clearly, my friend friend said some very good things about me to her children. Enough for her little girl to feel like she can approach me, chat with me, tell me about her 3 week old puppy and tease me. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling on a very ordinary day.

I also made me realise that we are never alone. Someone out there may feel connected to you, and care about you, even if you don't know it.

Family Loyalty Vs Reliable Client

One of my relatives phoned to ask if she could rent a specific property from me. She's downscaling so she can save money to start her own business, and the price range for the flat is perfect for her. The only problem is that, I already have tenants in that place and they've been living there for over 3 years now.

They're ideal tenants - pay on time, live very quietly and I have no complaints from neighbours about them. They keep the place very clean and even undertake minor repairs and just give me receipts for whatever they had to buy to fix something. ( no handyman costs). They have really made owning this property a pleasure. So in an ideal world, I would be praying like crazy that they never think about renting somewhere else or buying their own place.

Except, I like my cousin, and she has never asked me for help before. And in general, my cousin is very reliable too. So I'm hesitant to just say no to her without thinking things through first. But I do know that the arrangement with her will be short term - a couple of years until her business is up and running.

What do you think would be the smarter biz/life decision?

3 Sites In A Month?

Spent most of the day polishing the Love Stories mini-web site, and I'm happier with it now that I've uploaded movie posters for all 10 films and photos of scenes from the films. It was tedious work, but well worth it once everything was up and running.

Now all I have to do is upload promotional videos each week for the broadcasts on TV. The short film will begin broadcasting in SA on the 24th March.

I also spent time working on the content for the web site for the Phuza Wize campaign. The first associated TV series (Soul City) starts on the 22nd March and while the content of the simple site is almost ready, I still have a lot of work to do to develop the big/main site so it can go live ASAP.

And in my spare time ( LOL), I'm trying to finalise content for a site/social network for emergency/humanitarian organisations. The bulk of the work is currently being done by web developers, because of the need for some unique search and collaboration functionality, but they are now at the stage where they need my input.

On the life front, nothing much happening for now. Baby is going to come up to spend a week with me during her school holidays. I'm so looking forward to that!


I'm also harvesting most of my tomato crop. It's a big crop, so I'm giving away some of it, and will freeze more so I have tomatoes until my next crop is ready.

Love Stories Premier Was Great

Last night I attended the premier of "Love - Stories in a time of HIV & AIDS," a series of 10 short films that were developed as part of the OneLove campaign.

The films were developed in 10 countries in Southern Africa, and all of them are being broadcast on national TV stations in the participating countries. In South Africa they are going to be broadcast on SABC1 starting 24 March.

We watched the South African short film "Umtshwato - The Wedding" as part of the launch and I must say, it was a fairly good piece. Made me laugh, and left me wanting more.

From a work flow point of view, the days before the launch also kept me busy. I managed to create a 12-page mini-site for the series on the OneLove web site, and also finalised and printed the inaugral newsletter for the campaign.

Here's a copy of the newsletter.

Drink Safe. Live Safe

I've just started a Facebook group for Phuza Wize, the campaign that I've previously mentioned I'm developing a web site for.

Basically, the campaign is about "Violence Prevention Through Alcohol Reduction." The campaign is led by Soul City, the South African partners of the OneLove campaign.

I must say I found their research findings, which informed their campaign strategy, are very disturbing.

Did you know that:

Violence, in particular interpersonal violence, is the major contributor to the high rates of deaths caused by injuries in South Africa?

• —In 2004, violent deaths counted for 44% of non-natural deaths nationally, a figure substantially higher than most other countries .
  
• Amongst males aged 15-44 years in South Africa, interpersonal violence was the second leading cause of death.
• —Substance abuse is an important risk factor with 53% of fatal and up to 73% of non-fatal violence between people living in urban areas who have been tested and found to have alcohol .
• —The number of people in South Africa who are being treated to alcohol abuse is higher than the number of people being treated for abuse of other substances.
• In the first half of 2005, between 47% (Cape Town) and 74% (Durban) of patients receiving treatment had alcohol as a primary or secondary drug of abuse.
• —Given our rates of fatal injuries, we often refer to SA’s violence as a ‘culture of violence’ – accepted norm in resolving disputes, gaining acceptance and acquiring goods.
• —The death rate of SA males is 8 times the global average while the death rate of SA females is 5 times greater than the global average.
• —Alcohol alone is estimated to contribute to 7% to the total burden from death and disability in South Africa (global average is 4%).
• In South Africa alcohol ranks 3rd in burden of disease and disability after unsafe sex and interpersonal violence.

Anyhoo, if you have been affected by violence caused by the use of alcohol, or have been affected by alcohool abuse, join the Phuza Wize Facebook group.

You can also join the group to support me. Because you want to be nice to me. It feels kinda weird being the only fan of a Facebook page. :P

How To Write: Tips From Niq Mhlongo

In the 6th installment of Read SA's "How To Write" series, Niq Mhlongo offers some writing tips.
Niq Mhlongo is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, Dog Eat Dog – which, in Spanish translation, won the Mar des Lettras prize – and After Tears, both published by Kwela, an imprint of the NB group.

Read an excerpt from "After Tears".

Read Niq Mkhlongo's tips

Rant About Request For A Bribe

I'm furious, because I've had to play a dishonest game and pay a bribe. And yes, I am going to report these people when my business with them is done. Here's the story:
In May last year my partner had a car accident, where a municipal truck collided with his car on a street corner. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the driver of the truck never denied that it was his fault - he ran a red robot. The municipality also did not contest our insurance claim and filed it with their insurance company.

The assessor the municipality sent declared the car a complete write-off. Then he asked for a bribe of R5000. When we refused to pay, he said insurance claims usually take too long and it would be advisable to us to get a lawyer to represent us. Someone who can speed up the process. Obviously, the lawyer would have to be paid. My feeling was, what do we need a lawyer for when the case is straightforward?

There were numerous delays with the insurance company. I was annoyed, because it was costing money to run a second car while the shell of the first sat in my yard, gathering dust. Then the consultant said the claim has been forwarded to a law firm and to liaise with their rep directly. During the phone call to set up the appointment, the representative said it would cost R2500 cash, upfront, to sort out the issue. From the beginning, it was clear this was not the kind of payment we would be officially invoiced for.

So I went with my partner to meet with him and I asked him numerous times if he needed any documents to sort out our issue. He said he did not. I asked him if there was anything else he needed and he said no. He also promised that teh claim would be resolved within a week, now that they had all the documents. No money requests were made in my presence.

An hour after our meeting, he phoned my partner, asking him why he brought me along. He also demanded the money again. After a short discussion, we decided to pay. We'd been waiting since May last year for payment, and the car that was damaged was actually a source of income as a cab. So my partner had been losing money all these months and we just want the whole problem to be solved. And I suspect if I make waves now, we may never see the payment in medium term and in terms of income, my partner actually can't afford to keep waiting anymore. Everyday without that car is income lost.

But, we also agree that once the insurance claim money has been paid up, I'm going to blow the whistle. These people have no right to take R2500 that does not belong to them, just to do their job. I also don't want to be a victim/ to be helpless, and having to pay a bribe is being a victim. And all that moralistic crap aside, I want revenge. No one cheats me and gets away with it. And if it's the last thing I do, they will pay. And if the legal methods fail me, I will name the law firm and the insurance company on my blog. And the person who asked for a bribe gave us a business card and I will have no problem naming names here. This bribery problem that plagues South Africa has got to stop.

5 Things To Think About When Product Promoters Make You An Offer

Got an email from a company wanting to do give-aways on this blog. Unfortunately, I had to say "No." And ja, it does hurt to say No to something that you suspect could be of benefit to you. But I had to.

Their products look to be very high quality. But, I had to consider what the decision would mean for me and the site.

Here are some of the issues I had to consider:

1. Do the products fit in with my blog chatter?
In a distant way. It wouldn't be a stretch to talk about them, but I'd probably feel like I'm off-topic in some way.

2. Are my readers looking for these products and services when they visit Storypot?
LOL. It just struck me that I'm not quite sure why you come back to visit this site. What I mean is, I love it that you do (THANK YOU), but what was it about this blog that made you make time everyday to visit with me, no matter how busy you are? Anyhoo, re these products on offer, you I kno w for sure you don't come for anything related to them, but you would have enjoyed them.

3. Do I have a big enough traffic to make the exercise worthwhile for the client?
The general traffic would justify the venture. But the offer was pretty specific for certain locations, and I don't really want to have to put more effort to attract people from those locations. If they were visiting the blog in large numbers already, it would have made it easier for me to consider saying YES.

4. Why not take the products anyway? They're the ones who offered, and it's an easy way to get good quality stuff I can use without having to pay for it.
Because decisions like that always come back to bite you on the butt. The company's marketing people are not fools. They will want to see results for their generosity, and they would not be thrilled if it turned out I took their products and can't give them the exposure in the numbers and locations that make good business sense. And I'd rather not have to manage irate advertisers, thanks!

5. Would I be open to doing product give-aways on this site, if all the elements were in place?
Definitely. Now if Mica or some other gardening company asked me to talk up their gardening tools, plants etc, or local or bookstores like Kalahari and Exclusive Books, or even international ebook publishers asked me to talk up their new releases, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

It wouldn't be a stretch in terms of my usual chatter, and I buy a lot of stuff from Mica and spend hours in my garden every week. And for the books, I also have a big enough list of avid readers (through READ SA) and blogging space on Book SA to justify the venture. Actually, such offers would make my current blogging easier, because I'd have access to fresh content in the topics I already write about. So all I'd have to do is to keep doing what I'm doing.

So what do you think? Is your site /blog close to that stage where you start attracting advertisers and marketing people, and if so, what would get you to say YES?

How To Write: Tips From Lauren Beukes

In the fith installment of Read SA's "How To Write" series, we bring you writing tips by Lauren Beukes.

Lauren Beukes is one of the hottest tickets in SA Lit. Her first novel, Moxyland, published by Jacana, has blazed a trail in speculative fiction circles around the world, and has been picked up in the UK by the new Angry Robot imprint – which is also bringing out her second novel, Zoo City, later this year. Beukes is also the author of Maverick, a non-fiction work showcasing the more interesting women characters from South Africa’s past.

Here are Lauren Beukes’ tips

You can also come chat to us about the books you're reading on Facebook.

Making A Difference To Children Affected By HIV

Got a press release from a PR agency telling me about Where You Are: Project Swaziland, an initiative that aims to highlight the impact of HIV & AIDS on children in Swaziland.

Forwarded the info to a client for possible partnering, but not sure what else do with the info, though it interests me a lot. I think part of the attraction for me is that it's a combination of a fundraising project, there will be actual work being done to support the kids through day camps, and they'll film the day to day activities as the work is being done and develop that into a feature film.

Huh! Now that I'm writing this down I'm realising that the project resonates because Where You Are: Project Swaziland has many similarities with Kwanda, community makeover TV show I worked on a couple of months back.

Anyhoo, according to the media statement, the project is made up of 3 parts:

1. Establishing a day camp in Swaziland for children to provide education, health initiatives etc. The camps will be the first step in making a difference in the everyday lives of the children.

2. C& I Studios will capture on film the day to day work being done by not only individuals, and international development organisations working in Swaziland. .

3. Production of a feature length film based on their work. Casting has not been completed, but Where You Are has already signed Zoe McLellan (JAG, Dirty Sexy Money) as the female lead and Brian Larabee (Baby Let Your Hair Hang Down) as the male lead, Shaun Hunter.

For more info about the project, check out their web site.

Some Days I'm Dumb

And then there are days when I really feel smart! Finally managed to do decent pie charts for one of my reports. Usually I ask my sister or a friend of mine to help me with Excel spreadsheets, because it's easier. But I decided to grow up and do it myself, and it was not so hard/stressful. A little bit of independence gained, and a 12-month report finished much earlier because of it. Nice!

Running a poll on the OneLove web site to try to find out where and how people are finding the site. Please cast your vote if you have a minute. And that's it for today, because I'm still on a marathon writing session.

How to Write: Tips from Michiel Heyns

In the fourth installment of READ SA's "How To Write" series, Michiel Heyns shares some writing tips with us.

Michiel Heyns, who writes in both English and Afrikaans, is the author of several novels – most recently, Bodies Politic, which won the Herman Charles Bosman award.

He is also a noted translator and won, with Marlene van Niekerk, the 2007 Sunday Times Fiction Prize for the English translation of van Niekerk’s Agaat.

Here are Michiel Heyns’ tips

BTW, pop in at READ SA's Facebook group and tell us what you're reading.

New Crops & Regular Projects

Started harvesting my tomato crop, which is great because now I don't really have to buy fresh vegetables unless I find something that I really want to have.

I'm not too happy with my pumpkin crop though: I am getting a number of pumpkins to eat and give away, but the yield is small as compared to the amount of ground space that the plants use. Will have to think more about this next time.

Spent a hectic morning writing - 3 articles for the OneLove web site, a short report for a client and another article for Ezine Articles to promote the OneLove web site. Doing a lot more writing this afternoon.

Finding Michael Buble's "Crazy Love" inspiring, by the way. I always thought that I prefer silence when I write, but I find I'm very relaxed when I write with him crooning in the background.

10 Films Of Love From 10 Southern African Countries

Today one of the comments today on the OneLove web site was from someone who initially asked for help to break up with her married lover. She wrote to say thank you to my site readers for their support and advice, and mentioned that they helped give her the strength to break up with the guy.

Statistics of people who visit the sites I work on are nice. But few things can beat a personal note of thanks, from an individual whose life you have affected in a positive way. So yeah, this morning I feel warm and fuzzy, despite a hectic schedule, lack of sleep and self-created stress (parts of the writing is not going well because I'm overthinking things:-).

Anyhoo, if you're somewhere in Southern Africa, watch out for a series of 10 short films that's going to b broadcast on national TV stations as part of the OneLove Campaign. Each 30-minute film depicts a slice of life and speaks of love and desire, secrets and lies in a time of HIV & AIDS.

These Love stories, showcase films from Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia. All films have English subtitles.

They have already begun to broadcast in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, and will broadcast in South Africa starting on Wednesdays from 17 March 2010 on SABC1 at 20h30.

Anyhoo, please let me know if you end up watching the films and tell me what you think about them.

Also got a load of photos from the Kwanda Klothing team, who recently went to the US and had a "trunk show." The show was a success, and I'm going to publish the pics on the site in due course.

How To Write:Tips From Zakes Mda

In the third installment of READ SA's "How To Write series," Zakes Mda shares some writing tips with us.

Zakes Mda is one of South Africa’s most prolific and critically-acclaimed playwrights and novelists. His best-known books are Ways of Dying and The Heart of Redness – and he was recently the subject of a new work of criticism, Ways of Writing, out from UKZN Press. Mda’s latest book is Black Diamond, published by Penguin.

Read Zakes Mda's tips

Monday Update

Busy day today, so you get digest version:

1. Bought a beautiful kitchen table and chairs that I can't afford. Okay, I was looking, but I just wanted to see what's available and the set was beautiful and very reasonably priced. And it was a once-off offer ( bought from second-hand store), so it's not like I could count of finding a similar product at that price. So now I'm officially broke for this month.

2. Had Sunday dinner with Zukiswa Wanner, author of The Madams and Behind Every Successful Man . We had so many laughs I even forgot to the shy:-). Zuki has a book coming out in May and has some wonderful book promo ideas I wish many South African authors would adopt. I hope to talk her into doing an interview with me for this web site, once the book is out.

3. Spent hours setting up a friend's new computer : installing new software, connecting her on the Internet, showing her how it all works. I'd previously set up a blog for for her to promote her business, so now she's good to go. Got a beautiful beauty and cosmetics bag as a trade for my services. I'm finding I like bartering with friends - I get things I usually would not have bought for myself.

And on the work front, I have published a series of blog posts on masculinity and the pressure we put men under to prove that they are men, on the OneLove web site. The posts also include the advert developed by Brothers For life, where a number of prominent South African men reiterate their commitment to be responsible and to protect their loved ones.