16 Days: When silence became a protest
Reflections from the 21 November GBV Demonstrations in South Africa
On 21 November 2025, South Africa witnessed one of the most powerful displays of collective grief and resistance in recent memory. At the sidelines of the G20 Summit, where global leaders gathered to shape economic futures, thousands of women, survivors, allies, and organisations were mobilised by Women for Change, across the country to demand something far more urgent: the right to live.
The call was simple but piercing: declare gender based violence a national disaster. In a country where 15 women are murdered every single day, the protests became more than mass action, they became a national reckoning.
And today, as the world marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, the message carried from these demonstrations echoes even louder: awareness without action is not enough.
A Sea of Black, A Unified Voice
Gender Links joined the nationwide demonstrations in solidarity, dressed in all black to symbolise mourning, resistance, and unity. At exactly 12:00 pm, in cities and communities across South Africa, crowds lay down in silence.
We lay still.
We held our breath.
We reflected on lives stolen and futures cut short.
For 15 minutes, we honoured the 15 women murdered daily in South Africa. The silence was deafening. Yet within it, there was a roar, an insistence that the country cannot continue as though this loss is normal.
Strength in Numbers, Resistance in Motion
In Johannesburg, the gathering near Constitution Hill grew so large that it disrupted proceedings at the People’s Summit, where Gender Links was also hosting a side event. But this was not an inconvenience, it was proof of a nation reaching its breaking point.
The overwhelming turnout across provinces revealed organised grief transforming into organised resistance. From Cape Town to Durban, Pretoria to Gqeberha, the message was unified: enough is enough.
A Declaration Made, But Will It Matter?
In response to the public outcry, the President of South Africa officially declared GBV a national disaster. For many, this announcement brought a flicker of hope. But declarations without action quickly become dust. We refuse for that to happen.
As we enter the 16 Days of Activism, this declaration must not remain symbolic. It must not be a headline that fades. It must be a commitment that transforms.
South Africa does not need more rhetoric. We need implementation. We need:
- Policies that do not live solely on paper
- Stricter sentencing for perpetrators
- Fast and survivor centred justice delivery
- Proper funding for shelters, psychosocial services, and community-level prevention
- Systems that do not force survivors to prove their pain
- A justice system that responds with urgency, not apathy
The declaration must translate into action, budget, accountability, and change.
Why We Protest
We marched because the violence has become unbearable.
We lay down because women are being laid to rest every day.
We spoke out because silence has never protected us.
The women of South Africa are not asking for favours.
They are demanding rights: safety, dignity, justice, and survival.
The Road Ahead
The demonstrations on 21 November 2025 will be remembered not only for their scale but for their symbolism. They marked a turning point, one where the country could no longer deny the magnitude of the crisis.
But today, Day 1 of the 16 Days of Activism, the question is no longer whether the world is watching. It is whether the world is willing to act.
Gender Links remains committed to pushing for meaningful implementation, monitoring government commitments, amplifying survivor voices, and partnering with feminist movements, who continue to lead frontline advocacy.
Because gender based violence cannot remain a national disaster without becoming a national priority.
