Duduza – The Duduza SAPS partnered with its stakeholders, including the CPF, the Women As Safety Promoters (WASP), the Youth Crime Prevention Desk (YCPD), GBV Brigades, LifeLine, the Community in Blue and WOKE on November 21.
They gathered at the Duduza Police Station to participate in the Women For Change shutdown in honour of GBVF victims.
“The purpose was to get as many people to lie down wherever they were at exactly noon for 15 minutes as a symbol of all the bodies of the victims of GBVF. The attendees all wore black, a symbol of mourning,” explained the Duduza SAPS’ Constable Nobuhle Mnisi.
The stakeholders gathered at the Duduza Police Station dressed in black. Their mouths were covered with tape that read “Not Him, Not Me, Not You, Not Her”.
“This message symbolised that ‘We won’t be next’. We had purple balloons and signs with meaningful messages about GBVF.
“The women marched silently up Nala Road to the Catch Up Zone, one of the biggest GBVF hotspots in Duduza,” she explained.
Upon arrival there, the women broke their silence to sing and dance in the street. Bystanders who supported the initiative joined them.
At exactly noon, the women formed a circle and lay down on the road in memory of these GBVF victims found lifeless in Duduza:• Fikile Ndala;• Palesa Chapole;• Ntombenhle Nzima;• Lerato Magwete;• Thandeka Mtshweni;• Samantha Zungu;• Banele Sibiya;• Menzi Zikhali;• Ntokozo Mgwebu.
The intersection of Jacob and Ndudula streets came to a standstill for 15 minutes, with bystanders cheering and chanting words of encouragement to the women lying under the scorching sun, dressed in black.
After 15 minutes, the women released the purple balloons to celebrate the president declaring GBVF a national disaster.
“We will remain the voice of the voiceless, the beacon of hope and the advocate for the helpless in the continued fight against GBVF,” added Mnisi.
Each has a board with a message. Photo: Nobuhle Mnisi
Women march in Duduza. Photo: Nobuhle Mnisi
Women of all walks unite for the shutdown. Photo: Nobuhle Mnisi
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!