IN PICS | Hundreds rally at Union Buildings over GBVF epidemic

Hundreds of young people dressed in black marched to Union Buildings lawns in Pretoria on Friday to lie down for 15 minutes in silence in demand for the government to declare gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) a national crisis.

The march was organised by Women for Change nationwide, which seeks to highlight GBVF as a national crisis that needs to be addressed urgently.

Young men and women – with some holding placards titled “I am a survivor” – marched to the lawns of Union Buildings from Paul Kruger Square, in Pretoria CBD.

At 12 midday, they lay on the ground facing upwards for 15 minutes in silence. Afterwards, a timer rang and they clapped hands and sang.

I felt the need to be here because it is unacceptable for 15 women to be dying at the hands of abusers in the country every day, and nothing is being done about it.

—  Basetsana Makena, GBVF march attendee

Among those who attended the march was Basetsana Makena from Witbank in Mpumalanga.

“I felt the need to be here because it is unacceptable for 15 women to be dying [at the hands of abusers] in the country every day, and nothing is being done about it. So, this is just my small contribution to the bigger picture,” she said.

Another attendee was a 21-year-old victim – a university student based in Pretoria.

She said she was sexually assaulted by fellow pupils at school and she never got justice.

“I came here as a victim because it happened to me as a school kid, and nothing was done about it because no one believed me,” she said.

On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa used the global stage at the closing of the Business 20 (B20) Summit in Sandton on Thursday to place gender-based violence at the centre of SA’s social and economic concerns.

Addressing business leaders, policymakers and international delegates before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Ramaphosa said no country can claim progress while women and girls continue to live under the threat of violence, and no economic plan can succeed if half the population is unsafe or silenced.

“No society can thrive for as long as gender-based violence and femicide continue,” said the president.

“The violence perpetrated by men against women erodes the social fabric of nations. It imposes a heavy burden that constrains development and weakens inclusive growth,” Ramaphosa said.

Sowetan