A group of Stellenbosch University (SU) students recently joined an anti-gender-based violence (anti-GBV) protest that took place outside the parliamentary buildings in Cape Town.
The group of 25 students from SU made up the majority of the protesters who participated in the event on 24 April. They traveled to the protest on a bus that was organised by the SU Student Representative Council (SRC), according to Ayesha Abou-Zeid, womxn & queer empowerment officer of the SU SRC, who organised transport for the students.
Protesters gather outside the Cape Town parliamentary buildings and share their experiences of gender-based violence. PHOTO: Alistair Seymour
“It [the anti-GBV movement] needs to be extended beyond that boundary of people who already understand, […] and we just need to find a way to [inspire] the conservative other side of people,” said Sascha Wharton-Hood, a University of Cape Town graduate, and the organiser of the protest. The protest aimed to reignite the conversation surrounding GBV, according to Wharton-Hood.
The protest is one of many demonstrations to raise awareness and demand change around GBV, said Tsegofatso Matsha, one of the protesters. Matsha explained that the protest was intended to “keep the energy” for National Women’s Day on 9 August. In celebration of the 65-year anniversary of the Women’s March to abolish pass book laws in South Africa, there will be a national protest for women’s rights and anti-GBV on this day, according to Matsha.
One of the organisers of the anti-gender-based violence protest, which took place on 24 April, called for another protest on 9 August to commemorate the 65-year anniversary of the Women’s March against passbook laws in South Africa. PHOTO: Alistair Seymour
“People lose motivation and momentum really quickly, because it’s not enough to speak when an incident happens. It’s not enough to get into the conversation only when someone has been killed,” said Matsha.
Memorandum against gender-based violence
An updated memorandum against GBV, based on a previous memorandum created by the SU executive in 2019, was produced by Wharton-Hood, to be presented to a member of the department of health on 28 April.
Wharton-Hood explained that while the SU memorandum from 2019 was the most thorough anti-GBV memorandum in South Africa, it had become outdated due to developments since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Major police stations around Cape Town were approached for input on the updated version, according to Wharton-Hood.
Discussions around the role of men and women in society, and in the anti-GBV protest, formed part of the event on 24 April. One issue that was raised was that “women of colour always have to fight for everyone’s rights”, according to Tsegofastso Matsha, one of the protesters. PHOTO: Alistair Seymour
“It’s not like gender-based violence doesn’t affect [people]. All people should be engaging with this part of their identity as a South African,” said Abou-Zeid. “Make sure that you are informed. It’s not necessarily about the big things, it’s about the little things that you can do. Start in your personal spaces,” she added.
MatieMedia reached out to the department of health for comment, but they had not responded at the time of publishing.