Founder & Executive Director: Omogolo Taunyane-Mnguni

Omogolo Taunyane-Mnguni is a proficient media professional who occupies the role of Founder and Executive Director of GBV Monitor South Africa. She also works as the organisation’s Board Chairperson. Omogolo has served the country in her capacity as a political communicator and media practitioner at Cape Town Globalist, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), eNews Channel Africa (eNCA), Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Talk Radio 702 and local government.
She has dedicated her most recent years in local government civil service, first as a Media Specialist in the Office of the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg and subsequently as Spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs to the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane.

Recognising her strategic role as a woman in government leadership, she provided advice to the City of Tshwane former Mayor on how to improve the City’s gender responsiveness in efforts to demonstrate the City’s commitment to serving residents. Through her initiative, the City hosted the inaugural Men’s Dialogue and Night Vigil against Gender-Based Violence under the #NoMore and #KnowMore campaign. Both were efforts to demystify GBV and find solutions that equally represent diverse role players involved in the scourge. Subsequent to that, she initiated and led the City’s 365 Gender Action Plan to directly engage residents while building momentum against the increasing GBV statistics. All these have made the City of Tshwane the only metropolitan municipality to prioritise and take steps towards ending violence against women, children, and vulnerable people.
She has contributed her opinion on developments unfolding in the country on local and international platforms such as Sowetan, City Press, Huffington Post South Africa, Al-Jazeera (Doha, United Arab Emirates), Sky News (London, United Kingdom) and Women’s Media Center (New York, United States). Her writing traverses the intersection of gender, politics and class in South Africa.

Omogolo’s frustration with the limited framing of conversations about gender-based violence led to the conception of GBV Monitor South Africa, an initiative she leads with a mission to effect positive change for the benefit of survivors of GBV.
Despite the organisation’s nascence, her leadership and experience in media and politics introduces a theory of empowerment through critique, accessibility, and collaboration.