As Checkpoint approaches its 12th anniversary, the programme begins a series of deeper conversations about social issues that have not only endured but, in some cases, worsened over time. This episode turns its focus to one of the most contested and emotionally charged debates in South Africa: boys, men and gender equality.
Nkepile Mabuse speaks with author Dr Mzamo Masito (PhD) about his book This Country Hates Our Boys, which challenges the idea that gender justice is a zero-sum game. The discussion argues that it is possible, and necessary, to continue empowering girls and women while also confronting the growing evidence that boys are falling behind in education, social development and life outcomes.
The conversation explores how society struggles to hold multiple truths at once: that men are responsible for most violent crime, while men and boys are also disproportionately the victims of violence; that gender-based violence is a national crisis, while violence more broadly is claiming the lives of men, women and children alike. It examines how absent fathers, broken communities and unresolved emotional trauma shape male identity and can manifest as rage, violence and social harm.
Drawing on personal experience and broader social data, the episode considers the impact of fatherlessness, the limits of single-parent households, and the potential role of “social fathers”, mentors and community structures in supporting boys. It also interrogates how fear, mistrust and polarised gender narratives may be preventing meaningful collective responses to these challenges.
This episode of Checkpoint does not seek to resolve the debate or offer simple solutions. Instead, it invites reflection, disagreement and a more nuanced conversation about masculinity, violence and the long-term consequences of leaving boys behind in a society already struggling with inequality and instability.