OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190501
Evaluating microaggression in townships: A case study of the gender-based violence secondary victims in Soweto Township
Nomsa Ingrid Zikalala
Department of Police Practice, University of South Africa,
Preller Street, Muckleneuck Ridge, City of Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa.
Corresponding authour: zikalni@unisa.ac.za
Volume 19, Issue 05, Pg. 11-22, 2026.
Abstracts: Historically most communities in sub-Saharan countries conformed to cultures that promote patriarchy. Patriarchal norms and values socialized in close and extended families prolong the disparities between genders. Most women are secondary victims of gender-based violence in South African. South African townships are residence to Black ethnic Bantu speakers who were historically marginalized and excluded from socio-economic opportunities. The exclusion continue to manifest as under representation of women in various economic sectors, which makes women dependent on males, which might be an intimate partner, spouse, or family member. The economic dependents on male counterparts made them vulnerable to threat of gendered violence. The purpose of the study focused on secondary victims’ perceptions of microaggression. The objective was to establish women’s safety perceptions in Soweto Township. The methodology of the study was a qualitative case study. Snowballing was used to identify forty female participants. Interview schedules were administered to all participants during a thirty-minute face-to-face interview. The study applied ethical considerations. The thematic content analysis conducted established three dominant themes termed fear of crime, gender, and township. Most participants perceived that the type of microaggression experienced was gender violence, and often occurred in public across the township context, and it contributed to their fear of crime. The study provides insight on the role of microaggression in the fearfulness of female residence in townships. The findings cannot be generalized due to sample size. The study recommended police visibility, which includes frequent foot patrols to address the fearfulness of secondary victims in the township.
Keywords: Equality, fear, gender, microaggression, prejudice.
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