LISTEN | GBV disaster call just the beginning, says Women For Change founder

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster was a crucial step, but far from the end goal of creating a safer country for South Africa’s women, according to Sabrina Walter, the founder and MD of Women For Change.

Walter was addressing the Project Management Institute Global Summit in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon.

Her speech was especially poignant in the wake of seven womens’ bodies being discovered by police in Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni in Gauteng over the past two months.

Walter said Ramaphosa had responded to a protracted campaign by classifying gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster not because Women For Change was powerful, but because survivors had united and demanded better from their government.

“The national disaster classification was an historic milestone for South Africa, but it was not the end. It marked the beginning of a new stage. Every project manager here understands that reaching a milestone is not the same as completing the mission.

“The focus now must shift from promise to measurable action and from planning to implementation,” said Walter. “We will continue telling the government to ensure that this classification leads to properly funded services, stronger prevention, effective justice and real protection for survivors.”

The death of Esther “Tsontso” Moselakgomo, a woman who was reported missing after she did not return from jogging at the weekend, has brought South Africa’s long-standing gender-based violence and femicide crisis back into sharp focus.

“We all knew that we cannot just wait for our system to change, so we continued to work, and in April this year, Women For Change launched its first survivor support line, South Africa’s first dedicated WhatsApp service for anyone affected by gender-based violence. Since it was launched in April, the support line has received more than 40,000 messages, showing how urgently accessible survivor services are needed.”

Walter said she remained hopeful that South Africa would overcome gender-based violence, not because of data or statistics, but because of the power of people’s mobilisation, which was responsible for making the national declaration of disaster campaign a success.