Hundreds of women protested across South Africa on Friday. They gathered in cities like Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town as part of the G20 Women’s Shutdown organised by the NGO Women For Change.
Protesters wore black to signify mourning and resistance. They held a silent 15-minute lie-down protest to symbolise the lives lost daily to gender-based violence. The country has one of the highest femicide rates in the world, five times higher than the global average, according to UN Women.
The campaign urged the government to declare gender-based violence a national disaster. An online petition supporting this call gained over one million signatures. Many South Africans, including singer Tyla, showed support online.
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In response, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) made the official classification. Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, head of the NDMC, confirmed the decision, stating that the centre re-evaluated the persistent life-safety risks. This led them to conclude that the situation met the required threshold.
President Cyril Ramaphosa had previously called the issue a “crisis”. The new classification allows authorities to dedicate more resources. It will also strengthen support for existing structures fighting gender-based violence.
This declaration coincides with the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign running from 25 November to 10 December. It aims to raise awareness and drive action to end violence against women and girls.
Image via Facebook.
