Black Friday comes early: Stand in solidarity against GBV

Black Friday will come early this year – but not the one where you splurge on retail therapy. South Africans will wear black in solidarity with the fight against gender-based violence, particularly following the discovery of nine women’s bodies in and around the Kempton Park area in recent weeks

BLACK FRIDAY: SOUTH AFRICANS WEAR BLACK FOR KEMPTON PARK WOMEN

On social media, South Africans have been sharing posters appealing to the public to wear black attire on Friday, 18 September. This comes after the bodies of nine women were discovered in and around the Kempton Park area.

Many of the women were found partially undressed and were reported to have been sexually assaulted.

NGO SA Women Fight Back shared on its Facebook page: “[On Friday], we ask everyone to wear black in solidarity with the women and girls whose lives have been taken by gender-based violence (GBV).

“Black is a symbol of mourning. A reminder of the lives lost. A reminder of the families left behind. And a reminder that we cannot become numb to another headline, another victim, another family forced to grieve.

The call to stand in solidarity was accepted by schools, healthcare workers, and various private-sector institutions.

ANTI-GBV FOUNDATIONS: ‘WE NEED URGENT ACTION’

Also speaking up were organisations like the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation and the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation, named after two women whose lives were tragically taken in violent crimes.

The Uyinene foundation, established in honour of the UCT student, who was raped and murdered by a Post Office employee in 2019, condemned the women’s murders, including that of runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo.

It shared in a statement: “South Africa cannot continue to normalise violence against women and femicide. We need urgent action, accountability, prevention and justice. 

“We call on government, law enforcement, communities and all sectors of society to treat GBV with the urgency that this national crisis demands. Enough is enough. Our women deserve to live, walk, run and exist without fear”

The foundation set up in honour of model Reeva, who was shot and killed by her partner Oscar Pistorius in 2013, shared on its social media platforms: “They were someone’s daughters, sisters, mothers, friends”.

“We stand for a world where women are safe. Today, we are reminded how far we still are from that world.

The foundation renewed its commitment to working towards prevention and accountability on the ground and in government.

It continued: “We need harsher punishments to serve as a deterrent. We need a stronger commitment from our police force. A swifter trial to bring perpetrators to justice. GBV was declared a national disaster. ACTION is required. 

“The time has come to implement change as the current sentencing guidelines are simply not protecting the women in South Africa”.

ANOTHER NATIONAL SHUTDOWN IN THE PIPELINE

Meanwhile, fellow anti-GBV organisation, Women For Change, has shared its plans to facilitate a nationwide shutdown later this year.

The protest is planned for November, a year after the advocacy group’s G20 Women’s Shutdown. Their efforts resulted in a petition with over a million signatures, and President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring GBV a national disaster.

Women For Change told The South African: “We have decided that our next collective action will take place on 21 November, a date that holds deep meaning for this movement and allows for us to ensure proper planning, safety and security. 

“In the meantime, we must all use our voices and our power at the polls on 4 November. Then, on 21 November, we will come together once again to make our voices heard. We will share more details about the action in the coming weeks”