South African Women Call Purple Protest Over Gender Violence

Published: 21 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

South Africa is once again at a defining moment in its long struggle against gender-based violence, as women’s rights groups across the country call for a nationwide demonstration demanding that gender-based violence, or GBV, be formally recognised as a national disaster. The campaign, which began as a grassroots movement on social media, has rapidly transformed into a powerful civic uprising, building momentum ahead of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and drawing widespread local and global attention.

What started as hundreds of women sharing their stories online has grown into a viral movement, leading to Friday’s planned “G20 Women’s Shutdown,” where women across the country are being urged to step away from work, education, and any form of economic participation for one full day. Organisers say this symbolic withdrawal aims to show the immense social and economic contribution women make daily, contributions that often go unnoticed despite their vulnerability to violence, femicide and abuse.

The campaign’s use of the colour purple has become a striking visual signature. Across platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, thousands of South Africans—along with celebrities, activists and supporters worldwide—have changed their profile pictures to a purple background. This simple act has become a form of digital protest, highlighting solidarity with women affected by violence and creating a unified, easily recognisable symbol of resistance.

South Africa has long battled extraordinarily high levels of violence against women. According to UN Women, the rate at which South African women are murdered is five times higher than the global average. Within just the first three months of this year, official crime statistics recorded 137 women murdered and more than 1,000 cases of rape. Advocacy groups argue that these numbers only scratch the surface, given that many survivors never report incidents due to fear, stigma, or distrust in the justice system.

Friday’s protest encourages participants not only to stay home from work and school but also to lie down in public or private spaces for 15 minutes at exactly midday to honour the women who have been killed across the country. Women are further encouraged to wear black—symbolising mourning, resistance, and collective grief for victims whose stories have often faded quickly from headlines despite ongoing tragedies. Organisers hope that the powerful visual message of silence, unity and stillness will capture global attention as world leaders gather in Johannesburg for the G20 Summit.

The movement is being spearheaded by Women for Change, one of the country’s most active and influential advocacy organisations. Known for its dynamic online presence and its commitment to amplifying the voices of survivors, Women for Change has been leading the digital mobilisation efforts for weeks. An online petition associated with the campaign has already gathered more than one million signatures, calling for the government to urgently strengthen its policies and take more aggressive steps to confront what activists describe as a crisis spiralling out of control.

Despite mounting public pressure, the National Disaster Management Centre has rejected calls to classify GBV as a national disaster. According to its statement, gender-based violence does not meet the legal criteria required for such a designation under South African law. This response has left activists frustrated, who argue that the scale, persistence and impact of GBV far exceed those of many declared disasters in the past.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking on Thursday at the G20 Social Summit, reiterated that the government had already declared gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis back in 2019. He pointed to a range of interventions introduced since then, including strengthened legislation, improved policing frameworks and funding for support initiatives aimed at assisting survivors.

But activists say these measures, while promising on paper, have not translated into meaningful real-world change. Women for Change spokesperson Cameron Kasambala told the BBC that South Africa has created “so many beautiful acts and legislations” addressing gender violence, yet those documents often lack the essential implementation, transparency and accountability needed to achieve tangible improvements.

According to Kasambala, violence has become so embedded in South African culture that it shapes daily life in subtle and damaging ways. She argues that only a decisive and visible shift from the government—backed by long-term political will, adequate funding and uncompromising enforcement—can begin to change public attitudes and foster safer communities. Until then, activists say, women continue to live in fear, making even routine activities such as commuting, socialising or returning home at night fraught with danger.

The upcoming G20 Summit has created a pivotal moment for global attention to fall on South Africa’s domestic challenges. Activists hope that by launching the shutdown in the same week as the gathering of some of the world’s most powerful leaders, the issue of gender-based violence will gain the international spotlight it urgently needs. They also hope foreign governments, NGOs and global justice organisations will pressure South Africa to take more robust action.

The scale of public frustration is rooted in years of rising violence despite numerous government promises. Many women feel abandoned by the justice system, pointing to slow investigations, low conviction rates and cases where survivors are retraumatised by poorly trained law-enforcement officials. There is also widespread criticism of inadequate state-run shelters, limited mental-health support, and the chronic underfunding of community-based organisations that often provide the only lifeline for vulnerable women.

Public anger reached new heights earlier this year following several highly publicised murders that sparked nationwide grief and renewed calls for justice system reforms. In many of these cases, women were killed by intimate partners or acquaintances, highlighting what activists describe as a deeply rooted culture of misogyny.

Friday’s protest represents more than a call for emergency measures; it is a demand for systemic change. Activists say that recognising GBV as a national disaster would compel the government to allocate additional resources, fast-track interventions, and create stronger monitoring systems. It would also open the door to greater coordination across ministries, law-enforcement agencies, and community organisations.

For many participating women, the protest is personal. Whether they have survived abuse themselves or witnessed the suffering of a loved one, the emotional toll is profound. In interviews shared online, several women have expressed exhaustion at living in constant fear and frustration at feeling unheard despite years of pleading for change.

The purple-themed movement continues to spread across social media, with thousands sharing the stories of victims, statistics illustrating the severity of the crisis, and messages urging women to join the shutdown. International organisations, including prominent feminist groups and human-rights advocates, have amplified the message, helping the movement reach audiences far beyond South Africa.

As the world watches, the hope among organisers is that Friday’s action becomes a turning point, sparking a broader conversation about the global epidemic of violence against women. They believe this moment can also inspire similar movements in other countries where GBV remains rampant but often under-reported.

Yet even as public support grows, activists warn that true change requires sustained pressure, long-term investment and strong political commitment. The purple protest is only one step in what they describe as a much longer journey toward ensuring safety, dignity and justice for all women in South Africa.

Whether or not Friday’s shutdown leads to policy changes, it has already achieved one critical outcome: it has united millions of women and allies in one of the largest coordinated actions against gender-based violence in years. For many South Africans, this alone is a powerful sign that the country is ready for transformation.