The South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) has warned that many families are trapped in cycles of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), with trauma being passed down through generations.

The council, which represents Federations of Charismatic, Evangelical Outreach Mission Ministries and Pentecostal Churches, expressed concern on Saturday that both victims and perpetrators of GBVF are becoming younger.

SAUCIC cited the recent brutal murder of 20-year-old Likhona Ntandoyenkosi Maphanga from Phola Park, Thokoza, allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend, Zakhele Sibisi.

The council also pointed to the killing of a first-year University of Venda (UNIVEN) student, also 20, who was allegedly stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend at an accredited off-campus residence in Ngovhela village, Limpopo. The alleged perpetrator, a second-year student, is under police guard in a hospital after reportedly attempting suicide by jumping from a second-floor window following the attack.

SAUCIC President, Cardinal Archbishop Dr. Modiri Patrick Shole, condemned the incidents and warned that children exposed to violence often internalise the trauma or replicate the behaviour.

“They lose their self-esteem, learn to normalise violence and see it as an acceptable way to resolve disagreements,” he said.

Shole cautioned that children raised in abusive homes often adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms, including drug and substance abuse, which perpetuates cycles of violence. He further stressed that a culture of silence fuels these cycles across generations.

“Interventions must primarily focus on restoring the family as the first socializing unit,” he emphasised.

He added that every incident of GBVF has wider societal implications than many realize. “The seed of GBVF is sown in abusive homes. Healing and restoration interventions, especially for secondary victims, often young boys must be intensified by churches in our communities,” Shole said.