Women for Change, which spearheaded Friday’s #WomenShutdown movement, will soon meet with government agencies to discuss the newly announced national disaster classification.
The National Disaster Management Centre formally declared gender-based violence and femicide (GBV/F) a national disaster, a move the organisation says marks a turning point in years of advocacy.
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, welcomed the NDMC’s decision, calling it a necessary response to the “persistent and immediate life-safety risks” posed by GBV/F. He stressed that the declaration does not trigger emergency powers but strengthens existing systems and compels all organs of state to intensify prevention, support and accountability measures.
“This effort pulls together every sphere of government and every critical sector: policing, social development, justice, health, education, economic development, and traditional leadership. Above all, it confirms a fundamental truth: GBVF is not a women’s issue. It is a national crisis,” said Hlabisa.
Merlize Jogiat of Women for Change welcomed the decision and said the group looks forward to continued engagement with authorities.
She said the organisation would be meeting with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Defence, and the Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities departments, as well as the ANC Women’s League on Friday, 28 November to discuss the next steps following the classification.
“They’ve already scheduled time for us to meet on Friday next week, so they’re expediting this really quickly. There are multiple processes that need to happen. This is not like one decision and then all of a sudden everything opens. A body needs to be put together on how this is going to be executed. There will be members of civil society and some people from government that will be in discussion and overseeing some of these things,” said Jogiat.
Jogiat said she’s hopeful that the process would be seen through to execution, without any stumbling blocks.
“I know South Africa doesn’t like to be embarrassed and we also don’t want to be the kind of organisation who just continually calls people out all the time. We want to be able to work with a system that actually works. So we’re hopeful that that’s going to happen this time.”
The women’s rights advocacy group described the developments as surreal, following mass 15-minute demonstrations held at midday on Friday across the country.
Jogiat said the sight of people gathering in silence made her emotional.
With 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children beginning next week, the organisation said it will continue prioritising the voices of survivors.
“We finally got what it is we asked for, and now all we just need is implementation,” Jogiat said in reaction to the GBV/F national disaster declaration.
