For almost ten years, I have listened to the most horrific stories imaginable. I have witnessed the unbearable grief of families who had to identify the bodies of the women they loved. I have sat with survivors who carry their trauma in every breath they take. Women For Change has carried these stories with deep honour and relentless determination.
Today, that persistence has been recognised. We have won.
Our petition, backed by more than 1.1 million people across the world demanding that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) be declared a National Disaster, has succeeded. Earlier today, at the G20 Social Summit, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government of South Africa will classify GBVF as a National Disaster, a historic acknowledgement of the crisis that women and children face every day.
In an internal follow-up meeting today, led by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, the minister responsible for declaring national disasters, it was confirmed that an official agreement has been reached among multiple key departments and the Presidency.
We were assured that this declaration will be signed tomorrow, and we will convene again next week for a follow-up meeting to discuss the detailed action plan and timeline.
This moment feels impossible to describe.
To my team – five extraordinary human beings who have given everything over these past weeks – you are the heartbeat of Women For Change. You carried this movement with courage when we were exhausted, frightened, and overwhelmed. I am forever grateful to you. To every single person who signed our petition, who stood beside me and the movement in the past years, who shared our message, who refused to look away – you made this possible.
We have written history together.
We forced the country to finally confront the truth.
We made the entire world stop and look at the women of South Africa.
And tomorrow… as we shut this country down, while the world will be watching.
On Friday, 21 November, South African women, children, and allies will withdraw from labour and from the economy. At 12:00 PM, we will lie down in silence for 15 minutes to honour the sisters who never made it home. We will do this for the women who died begging to be believed. We will do this for every survivor who still suffers in silence. We will do this for the next generation, for our girls and boys, so they never have to inherit this fear.
I have always said: This fight is bigger than me. It is bigger than us.
Because we are HER.
Tomorrow, we lie down – not in defeat, but in power.
Tomorrow, we rise – for every woman, every child.
Tomorrow, South Africa stands still so that her women can finally rise.
This is only the beginning. And we will not stop until every woman is safe.
For more information, please visit: https://womenforchange.co.za/
