WATCH: Champs of Langa

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has joined a new team of community champions.

On Saturday, the rugby star visited three young men who are acting as agents of change in Langa after he saw the work they do for the community.

Siyabonga Khusela, Samkelo Dlephu and Luyolo Lengisi founded LangaForMen last year.

The organisation tackles issues such as gender-based violence and child abuse.

Kolisi saw the group on social media and contacted them via Instagram video chat.

Through his own organisation, the Siya Kolisi Foundation, he paid them a visit in Langa on Saturday, joined by singer Mandisi Dyantyisi.

Luyolo says they are overwhelmed by Kolisi’s attention and believes this will put more focus on their organisation’s goals: “We felt honoured by the visit and we made partnership deals between us and his organisation.

“This is only the start, there will be many more people who will visit us and more men will join the movement after this.”

View this post on Instagram

Langa for Men Last week we partnered with #LangaForMen to support women in their community with Power2You Packs and food relief. @langaformen started in August 2019 by two young boys aged 21, with a vision to create a safe space for every gender and also mobilise everyone in the fight for women and young girls. “We are all affected by gender based violence.” This action-initiative is driven to turn perpetrators into 'protect-hers' by educating young men on how to treat women with respect and dignity, and by supporting their peers through their own healing to stop the cycles of abuse that have been continuing in our country. “Men are not supposed to be praised for fighting for GBV. It’s something that they should be doing on their daily basis to make sure that our mothers and sisters are safe” – Luyolo Lengisi (Co-Founder #LangaForMen ) www.langaformen.co.za 📷 @garyvanwykphotography @blackbeanproductions

A post shared by Kolisi Foundation (@kolisi_foundation) on Aug 17, 2020 at 3:28am PDT

LangaForMen also collects and donates sanitary towels for girls and women in the area.

They mobilise support for victims of crime and were part of the protests calling for no bail for a 62-year-old Langa man accused of raping a nine-year-old girl.

Siyabonga says there is a growing need for men “to come to the party” when it comes to violence, and be good examples to young boys.

“Women continue to remain marginalised and largely oppressed by a patriarchal system that perpetuates misogynist attitudes, stereotypes and behaviour against women,” he says.

“For us to eradicate femicide, we need to instil and restore new values in the boy child, that will make a boy not see a girl child only as an object.”

The generous Kolisi did not come empty-handed and handed over 150 “power packs” consisting of pepper spray, soap, whistles as well as food parcels.

Addressing the LangaForMen team, the Bok captain said he was impressed by their work: “We always wait for Mandela Day to help other people when it should be a daily thing.

“In my organisation, Mandela Day is a day of reflection of what we have been doing every day.”

He also shared advice on how to run a community-based organisation.

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