Indoda Wednesday, an initiative adopted by the City of Johannesburg Health District in April last year, is bringing together men and boys to talk about violence, mental health and other social issues. More than 1,000 men have been reached in Johannesburg’s Region G alone.

For 67-year-old Elias Jim from Lawley, the gatherings have become part of a much longer journey away from violence.

Elias says for decades, anger has shaped how he responded to conflict. Raised in a home where violence was directed at his mother, Jim says he absorbed the behaviour he witnessed and eventually became violent himself. 

Jim says he was nicknamed ‘Khalambazo’, meaning axe. 

“My father was abusive and feared by everyone in the house, including my mother. He would beat my mother in front of us,” Elias says.

When Jim got married, the abuse extended to his wife. 

“At 22 I married my first wife and we had a child. We were married for only 4 years. My abusive traits started to show. I oppressed my wife, I never allowed her to contribute in any decision-making. I wanted her to be just a trophy and be controlled.” 

In 1983, Jim married again, and had his second child. 

“In this marriage I became worse. I was a monster to my wife. She would shake when she spoke to me, that’s how much she feared me,” he says. “My second wife was my punching bag, I oppressed her even more [than my first wife].” 

In 1992, Jim was arrested for gang-related violence and spent 24 years in prison before his release in 2016.

A journey that started in prison

Jim’s journey to change started behind bars. 

He says several fights in prison led to introspection. He asked for psychosocial support from prison social workers and attended anger management classes. He says he also participated in other programmes that were offered in prison, including conflict resolution, substance abuse, gender abuse and relapse prevention. 

“I changed in jail, I had no choice, I was tired of violence and fighting. It was becoming a heavy burden to carry,” he says. 

“I became a facilitator in prison and held group sessions with men, and started to advocate for more mind renewal programmes for our inmates. I was no longer violent, I was helping inmates who were struggling to cope with prison life.”

Jim says when he was released from prison in 2016, he continued to mentor other men. In April this year, he joined the Ennerdale/Lawley Indoda Wednesday group after other men saw the work he was doing with boys and men in his community. 

“Every Wednesday we gather boys and men to discuss their daily challenges, issues around gender-based and community violence, mental health and how they can positively contribute in their communities,” he says.

“Although my rehabilitation started in jail, the work I do with Indoda Wednesday helps me to heal further. Men need safer spaces to talk without fear and stigma.”

Another man finds support

One of the men who says the gatherings helped him is 42-year-old Orange Farm resident Lerato Magongwa.

Magongwa joined Indoda Wednesday in 2022 after a series of setbacks. He lost his job and his relationship and was later hijacked and kidnapped in Johannesburg. He says he became depressed and suicidal and later suffered a stroke.

“Finally I was among people who cared about me and didn’t make me feel judged,” he says.

Magongwa says he gradually began to recover and is no longer suicidal or ashamed. He now facilitates Father A Nation’s Champions for Change programme, where men discuss their challenges, including gender-based violence, and are referred for additional support where needed.

A safe space for men and boys

The City of Johannesburg Health District says the initiative followed a Men’s Parliament meeting where men resolved that they needed private and safe spaces to discuss issues affecting them.

Men and teenage boys can attend the gatherings, which take place in settings including community halls and churches. Discussions include gender-based violence, substance use, mental health, traditional initiation schools and skills development.

The City says the gatherings also encourage men to use health services including HIV testing, TB screening, prostate cancer services and mental health referrals.

Health services linked to the programme have also been taken to taxi ranks, including Bara, Bree and MTN taxi ranks, on alternating Wednesdays.

Connecting men to healthcare

The Indoda Wednesday programme also refers men to healthcare facilities who need help with mental health and drug rehabilitation.

The City says community health centres that form part of the initiative include Itireleng in Soweto, Discoverers in Florida, River Park in Alexandra, Chiawelo in Soweto and Stretford in Orange Farm.

The Mpathy Rhiza clinic in Orange Farm provides free healthcare services including HIV testing, TB screening and prostate cancer services, with a particular focus on men on Wednesdays. 

The Gauteng Department of Health has welcomed the initiative. Department spokesperson Steve Mabona says it runs a separate Men’s Health Forum for its male employees. 

Mabona says the programme provides spaces where men can discuss mental health, stress, relationships, financial challenges and substance use.

Mabona says men who need additional support can access counselling and trauma debriefing or be referred to psychologists, social workers, mental health and substance-use services.

October is Mental Health Awareness month in South Africa with World Mental Health Day marked on 10 October.