Fathers Matter

Before he was Dr Mzamo Masito, a respected author and advocate for young boys and men, he was just another child trying to survive in the townships of the Western Cape while struggling with his own ‘father wound’. A wound that he would have to confront as he got older.

When we first introduced the Fathers Matter programme, we had one clear mission: to address a deep and often unspoken wound that many South Africans carry. Now, Fathers Matter is the core focus at Heartlines as we look to halve fatherlessness in a generation. 

Through initiatives involving young people, communities, education and law enforcement, dedicated South Africans are working to reduce violence and inspire empathy and trust.

On 29 October 2025, Heartlines, in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance hosted the Rethinking Fatherhood, Gender, and Masculinity in South Africa symposium.

Fathers Matter encourages men to play an active and positive role in their children’s lives by developing skills around caregiving and emotional presence. The new law about parental leave is an opportunity for fathers to do exactly that from the very beginning, creating space for both parents to share the work and the joy of raising a newborn.

The question of celebrating young girls without sidelining boys is a hot topic. And it deserves real thought, because the last thing we want is to solve one problem by creating another.

The premiere of Playing Dad, the seventh installment in its Fathers Matter film series, brought together cast and crew, research and development contributors, corporate leaders and media partners. The evening was a celebration and a moment to reflect on the role of fathers in children's lives.

Do all children lie? When should you as a parent or guardian intervene? And, most importantly, how do you handle a dishonest child?

Stats SA reports that 42% of children in South Africa live in single-mom households. So how can we say that fathers matter? We believe that encouraging men to step up as active, positive and present role models for children, will benefit women too.

Fathers Matter wasn’t created to invalidate the important role that mothers play. We want to highlight and support the positive and active role fathers and men play in the lives of children, in order to lessen the risks linked to the absence of fathers or positive male role models.

Heartlines Fathers Matter recently partnered with the City of Joburg to facilitate a critical conversation about the role that positive, active and present male role models and fathers can play in children’s lives.