ABSTRACT:
1. INTRODUCTION Gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse, and alcohol misuse remain urgent public health crises in South Africa, particularly in township and rural communities where poverty, unemployment, and limited access to services intensify harm. These challenges undermine physical health, mental well-being, family stability, and community safety. Despite their impact, affected communities are often excluded from public health decision-making. This abstract presents a community-led public health response grounded in lived experience and driven by the principle that public health justice requires community power and leadership. 2. METHODS Bantubanye Community Development implemented a participatory, grassroots public health approach in Makhaza, South Africa. Methods included community dialogues, school-based awareness programmes, street-level campaigns, door-to-door engagement, youth mobilisation, survivor support, and referral to relevant services. Partnerships were established with local government departments, civil society organisations, and community leaders. Community members were actively engaged as mobilisers, educators, and advocates to ensure culturally relevant and locally owned interventions. 3. RESULTS The intervention increased community awareness of GBV and substance abuse as public health issues rather than private or cultural matters. There was improved willingness among community members to speak out, report abuse, and seek support services. Youth participation in prevention initiatives increased, and collaboration between community structures and service providers was strengthened. However, challenges persist, including limited funding for grassroots organisations, stigma, fear of retaliation, and slow institutional responses. 4. CONCLUSION This experience demonstrates that community-led action is not an optional add-on but a core pillar of effective public health systems. Addressing GBV and substance abuse requires shifting power, resources, and decision-making to communities most affected. Public health institutions, policymakers, and funders must move beyond consultation to genuine partnership, ensuring sustainable, justice-centered public health solutions built with communities, not for them.