South Africa declares gender-based violence a national disaster amid nationwide protests

South Africa has formally designated violence against women as a national disaster, a move that follows a sustained online campaign and countrywide protests this week demanding urgent action.

Participants were urged to pause the economy for a day and to lie down for 15 minutes at noon local time in memory of the 15 women killed in the country each day, a figure cited by rights groups and UN bodies.

Officials had previously resisted the categorisation, but the decision was taken after the government evaluated persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing violence against women and girls.

South Africa records some of the world’s highest levels of gender-based violence (GBV), with femicide rates significantly higher than the global average according to UN Women.

The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) upgraded GBV and femicide to a disaster following a thorough reassessment of findings from state agencies and civil organisations, said Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa.

Earlier, the NDMC had indicated that calls to make the categorisation did not meet legal thresholds.

Warning: This report contains details of sexual violence.

Friday’s demonstrations took place in 15 locations across the country, including Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, with protesters donning black as a sign of mourning and resistance.

Supporters in Eswatini, Kenya and Namibia voiced solidarity and joined the action online and in spirit.

The protest movement, nicknamed the G20 Women’s Shutdown, was coordinated by Women for Change, which has spearheaded the online campaign that led many people to switch their profile pictures to purple, a color associated with GBV awareness.

An online petition gathering more than one million signatures has also circulated as part of the campaign.

At a recent G20 Social Summit, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that South Africa had already declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis in 2019. Shortly after, Minister Hlabisa confirmed the upgrade to a national disaster and signalled that a formal announcement would follow on Friday.

Women for Change welcomed the development, saying the decision marks a historic moment and acknowledging that persistent advocacy finally shifted government policy.

The categorisation enables government departments to deploy their budgets to implement a broad range of measures to tackle GBV. If the action fails to produce change, officials could pursue further escalation, including a broader national state of disaster to accelerate responses.

Community advocates have stressed that despite existing laws and programmes, implementation remains uneven. Critics say action must move from rhetoric to sustained funding and transparent delivery.

In a parallel push, some women are turning to self-protection through lawful firearms ownership. The group Girls on Fire, led by Lynette Oxeley, aims to help women defend themselves through training and, where legally licensed, firearm ownership. While emphasising self-defence as a last resort, organizers say the broader goal is to empower women to reclaim their safety and voice.

For more context on the South Africa GBV crisis and ongoing policy responses, see coverage from BBC News.

Key takeaway: South Africa’s move to classify gender-based violence as a national disaster signals a formal, budget-backed push to curb femicide and GBV, with activists urging concrete, transparent action on the ground. Source: BBC News.

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