Shutdown for GBV to be declared national disaster
As protests grow and femicide surges, calls intensify for GBV to be declared a national disaster and for justice system reform.
There is an intense outcry against gender-based violence (GBV) as NGO Women For Change’s call for a national shutdown on 21 November to demand that GBV be declared a national disaster gains momentum.
Thousands of people are making their profile pictures purple in support of GBV awareness ahead of the G20.
The NGO called on all women and members of the LGBTQI+ community across South Africa to refrain from all paid and unpaid work in workplaces, universities and homes, to spend no money to demonstrate the economic and social impact of their absence and to wear black on 21 November.
Momentum grows for a national shutdown
According to the NGO, the rate of femicide in South Africa is six times higher than the global average, with at least 15 women murdered every day.
On Monday, Wits University students took to the streets to protest against GBV as allegations of rape surfaced involving a student representative council member at the university and a student.
Special Investigating Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the launch of the GBV First Responder Programme will be implemented through a multisectoral partnership model.
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It involves the SIU Anti-Corruption and Cyber Academy, the departments of justice and correctional services, women, youth and persons with disabilities, police, social development and health and the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional Leaders, civil society and faith-based organisations, academic and training institutions and the private sector.
It was expected there would be 5 000 certified GBVF first responders nationwide by 2030.
Kganyago said phase 1 included the 2025-2026 pilot and institutional programme followed by pilots in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape with 500 trained respondents and the launch of the digital response tool.
Phase 2: National roll-out between 2026 and 2028
Phase 2 includes the national roll-out between 2026 and 2028 and expansion to the other provinces.
Kganyago said the SIU will publish how it will receive applicants for the first cohorts of GBV First Responders during the last quarter of the current year.
“If you are passionate about making a difference, join us in this critical initiative.
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“Registration details will be made available through the multistakeholder partners,” he added.
A GBV victim from Pretoria, Izelle Venter, has been waiting for justice for six years.
Venter said her case has been postponed again, this time until February 2026.
Waiting for justice
“Next year it will be seven years. They keep using stalling tactics,” she said.
Ribbons of Justice’s Lorraine Slippers said the organisation would be joining the purple march on 21 November.