A Stellenbosch run organised by a Harmonie resident at Stellenbosch University to spread awareness about gender-based violence in South Africa had more than twice the expected turnout. PHOTO: Supplied/ Harmonie Residence
What was supposed to be a small Stellenbosch University (SU) residence run to raise awareness about the gender-based violence (GBV) crisis in South Africa, had a much more successful turnout than expected, said Helene Goosen, who organised last week’s event.
This comes amid an ongoing national anti-GBV movement after the bodies of 10 women were found murdered in Ekurhuleni since the start of July 2026. The number has since risen to 12, according to Daily Maverick.
The 5km run, organised by Goosen, a resident at Harmonie Residence, was held on 21 September. While she expected around 50 people to show up, the final turnout was more than double, said Goosen.
Ané de Villers, a second-year BA Visual Communication Design student at Stellenbosch University, explained that runners were dressed in black in solidarity with the anti-gender based violence cause. PHOTO: Supplied/ Harmonie Residence
She first organised it to spread awareness about GBV and to show women that they are not alone in this cause, she explained.
“If we stay silent, things will never change and the problems will progress,” Goosen said. “I needed to do something – even if it was as small as a run – just to show that this isn’t okay.”
Ané de Villers, a second-year BA Visual Communication Design student at SU who attended the run, said it was “a wonderful evening”.
“It was this big group of people running together. You couldn’t even see the end or the beginning of the group,” she said. “Everyone who we ran [past] cheered for us.”
She added that Goosen and her team handed out purple ribbons, a colour often used for GBV awareness, to the crowd after delivering a speech dedicated to the women of South Africa.
Helene Goosen, a resident at Harmonie Residence, addresses the crowd before the run she organised to spread awareness about gender-based violence on 21 September. PHOTO: Supplied/ Harmonie Residence
Malaika Ngwenya, the co-founder of Stellenbosch University’s anti-GBV community, said that events like the run are important not just to spread awareness, but also to remind the Stellenbosch community that GBV will never be tolerated.
“I think it’s just to reiterate that when it comes to survivors, they are supported by the community and the community stands by them,” she added.
Ngwenya emphasised that it is important that the momentum of the movement is maintained.
“I think remembering that the numbers that we’re seeing every day are not just numbers – these are women who had futures, who have families, who have a whole realm of a daily life that was completely destroyed by the hands of someone else,” she said.
“I think bringing it as close to home and as real as possible will keep people and the momentum […] going – especially looking at the faults of our own institution and our own communities,” Ngwenya said.