In a landmark decision responding to mounting public pressure, South Africa has officially declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster, a move welcomed by women's rights activists across the nation.
Nationwide Protests Precede G20 Summit
Hundreds of women gathered in cities across South Africa on Friday, staging peaceful demonstrations against the country's escalating gender-based violence crisis. The protests, organised by the NGO Women For Change under the banner 'G20 Women's Shutdown', occurred just before world leaders arrived for the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Demonstrators appeared in 15 locations – including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban – dressed in black as a powerful symbol of 'mourning and resistance'. The centrepiece of the protest was a poignant, 15-minute silent lie-down, representing the 15 women killed daily due to gender-based violence in South Africa.
The country endures one of the world's highest femicide rates, with UN Women estimating it is five times higher than the global average.
From Protest to Policy: A Campaign's Victory
The lie-down protest marked the culmination of a month-long campaign by Women For Change, which had been intensely lobbying the government for the national disaster declaration. The campaign urged women and LGBTQ+ communities to abstain from all paid and unpaid work and to spend no money for an entire day, demonstrating their profound social and economic impact.
An online petition supporting the cause amassed more than a million signatures, while high-profile figures like Grammy-award winning singer Tyla showed solidarity by changing their social media profiles to purple, the colour associated with women's rights.
In a significant U-turn, Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), announced on Friday that it would classify gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster. The NDMC had previously argued the issue did not meet the legal requirements, but re-evaluated its position after assessing 'the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence'.
Government Response and Future Action
The minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, welcomed the decision, which unlocks the ability for authorities to dedicate specific resources and strengthen support systems to combat the crisis.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the public outcry, stating at a G20 sideline summit, 'The women of our country are crying out that they need much more focus on the issue of gender-based violence'.
Women For Change celebrated the announcement on its Instagram account, proclaiming 'we have won' and 'we have written history together'. The group confirmed it plans to convene a follow-up meeting next week to discuss a detailed action plan and timeline, ensuring the declaration translates into tangible, life-saving action.
