Chris Brown concert shines spotlight on violence against women in South Africa

Chris Brown's forthcoming performance successful South Africa has led to renewed absorption connected the country's shocking levels of unit against women, with campaigners saying it sends the incorrect connection fixed his past of abuse.

In little than 2 hours, the Grammy-winner managed to merchantability retired tickets to the FNB Stadium successful Johannesburg - the largest stadium successful Africa with implicit 94,000 seats. Demand was truthful precocious that a 2nd December day was added.

Despite the monolithic interest, the R 'n' B prima has experienced a backlash from radical who did not privation him to execute owed to his convulsive past.

"When I saw the quality that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and profoundly disappointed," said Sabina Walter, enforcement manager of Women for Change, an organisation that advocates for the rights of women and children successful South Africa.

The radical has started a petition to halt the US creator from performing. It presently has implicit 20,000 signatures.

“The petition was started to nonstop a beardown connection that we volition not tolerate the solemnisation of individuals with a past of unit against women,” said Ms Walter, particularly successful a state similar South Africa.

South Africa has 1 of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based unit successful the world.

A rape is reported successful the state astir every 12 minutes and it is assumed that galore much spell unrecorded.

“When idiosyncratic similar Chris Brown is fixed a level successful a state wherever GBV is astatine situation levels, it sends a damaging connection - that fame and powerfulness outweigh accountability,” said Ms Walters.

The astir well-known lawsuit successful Chris Brown's past of maltreatment is the home quality with vocalist Rihanna successful 2009.

Chris Brown, who was 19 astatine the time, pleaded blameworthy to battle and was sentenced to 5 years probation, assemblage work and home unit counselling.

Although Rihanna forgave him and the brace concisely dated again aft the incident, Chris Brown has besides been accused of unit by different women - and men.

Women for Change says it wants to cognize however the Department of Home Affairs could assistance “a convicted abuser" a visa.

For Ms Walter, the determination is “concerning and indicative of a systemic failure”.

According to South African law, having a erstwhile condemnation tin effect successful a visa being denied. But determination tin beryllium an objection for “good cause” and those are cleared by the Director General of the Department of Home Affairs.

Chris Brown has antecedently been banned from entering different countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, though helium has subsequently gone connected to play successful the UK and elsewhere successful Europe.

But his South African fans are undeterred.

Former University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng shared connected X that she would beryllium attending the Chris Brown concert.

“I americium wholly against GBV and condemn it. I judge that those who perpetrate GBV should look the afloat mightiness of the instrumentality without exceptions oregon leniency.

“But fto maine beryllium clear, conscionable successful lawsuit the connection didn’t beryllium well: I americium going to be Brown’s performance if helium comes. These 2 things are not mutually exclusive.

“To suggest that enjoying a performance aligns you with each past enactment of the creator is, astatine best, simplistic and, astatine worst, intellectually dishonest,” she said.

Prof Phakeng explained that "music is bigger than the individual".

She added that boycotting Chris Brown's performance wouldn't extremity GBV successful South Africa.

"Attending the performance does not magically erase our motivation stance connected GBV."

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Although this is not Chris Brown's archetypal performance successful South Africa, determination is immense excitement among his fans.

One said connected X: “Chris Brown coming to South Africa??... I'll instrumentality a indebtedness for a conscionable & greet.”

“Chris Brown you don’t cognize america yet… but my woman and I volition beryllium those 2 microscopic fans successful the stands singing and dancing to each jam!!!!” said another.

Ms Waters said she had adjacent received threats due to the fact that of her run against the US star.

“Supporters of Chris Brown look acceptable to support him astatine immoderate cost,” she said.

“The disapproval we are facing for our petition speaks volumes and really reveals a heavy disconnect successful however we, arsenic a society, presumption unit against women."

She said that excessively often radical were consenting to “excuse abusive” behaviour erstwhile it comes to celebrities they admire.

Selective outrage is unsafe due to the fact that it perpetuates the rape civilization and precocious levels of unit women look each day, said Ms Walters.

President Cyril Ramaphosa accepts that South Africa has a immense occupation with gender-based unit and successful August, helium called connected the country's men to instrumentality a stand.

"Our eventual extremity is to extremity gender-based unit altogether," helium said.

Yet this extremity remains a distant 1 - small has changed 5 years aft helium called for enactment to tackle the country's "rape crisis".

This twelvemonth alone, Women for Change has honoured implicit 200 women who person mislaid their lives to femicide.

"This combat isn’t conscionable astir this concert. It’s astir changing the communicative successful South Africa, wherever abusers are held accountable and wherever unit against women is ne'er excused, overlooked, oregon forgotten.”