Zikhona Plaatjie

Gender Based Violence Experiences Of Female Students In South African Universities: An Intersectionality Framework

​

ABSTRACT

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains deeply entrenched in South African universities, with female-identifying students disproportionately affected by various forms of harm, including sexual harassment, coercion, and intimate partner violence.

​

This study examines how GBV manifests within higher education institutions and critically explores the effectiveness of institutional responses through a feminist intersectionality lens. Grounded in the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989, 1991), which highlights how intersecting identities such as race, class, sexuality, religion, and culture compound students’ vulnerability to GBV and shape their access to institutional support and justice.

Adopting a qualitative feminist methodology, the study draws on unstructured, in-depth interviews with purposefully selected students currently enrolled at various South African universities. Thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), guides the interpretation of participants' narratives and reveals systemic shortcomings in university GBV interventions and support.

​

Preliminary findings from the literature review point to a pervasive culture of silence, fragmented and inconsistent policy implementation, and exclusionary support mechanisms that fail to reflect the diverse realities of survivors.

By amplifying student voices often marginalised in dominant discourse, this research contributes to the growing call for inclusive, survivor-centred, and transformative GBV responses in academia. It calls for a decisive move beyond policy rhetoric toward meaningful institutional change rooted in feminist and intersectional praxis.

BIOGRAPHY

​

Zikhona Plaatjie is a gender and social justice practitioner with over a decade of experience in transformation, diversity, and inclusion across Government and Higher Education sectors.

 

She currently serves as the Transformation Stream Coordinator: Monitoring and Evaluation at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where she leads institutional efforts to monitor gender-based violence (GBV) interventions and advance transformation other imperatives. Zikhona holds an a Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Family studies, Honours degree in Psychology and is pursuing a Master’s in Women and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape.

 

Her previous roles include Assistant Director for Youth and Gender at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, where she led policy development, training, and advocacy work related to GBV, LGBTIQ+ inclusion, and workplace diversity.

 

Passionate about equity and survivor-centred approaches, Zikhona’s work integrates research, policy, and practice to challenge structural inequalities and foster safer, inclusive environments in education and public service.