‘Nothing to celebrate on Women’s Day’- says local organisation
The Durban march will start at Curries Fountain Stadium at 8am and proceed to the City Hall.
A LOCAL campaign calling for an end to gender-based violence says there is nothing to celebrate about Women’s Day in the country. As the country welcomes the month of August, in which women are celebrated, #TheTotalShutdown has planned nationwide protests to strengthen their fight against the violence.
Campaign organisers have called on all women to stay away from work on Wednesday, 1 August and join the protests.
“Women including the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer (LGTBQIA) communities as well as Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) and children are dying at the hands of men in South Africa, and something needs to be done,” said the campaign’s Beverly Motlhabani.
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“We have nothing to celebrate on 9 August. Every week, we receive multiple reports of women, children, and gender non-conforming people who have been brutally murdered, kidnapped, or abused, and there is no sense of urgency from our leaders to find ways in which society can tackle this violence.
#TheTotalShutdown is a campaign started by women from all walks of life who are directly or indirectly affected by gender-based violence.
The Durban march will start at Curries Fountain Stadium at 8am. The march will proceed to the City Hall.
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Motlhabani, a Durban North resident added,”Our theme is ‘My Body- Not Your Crime Scene’, which she said highlights the fact that women own their bodies. We also have a dress code which is all black with a splash of red. The black denotes the sadness, pain and trauma women go through every day because of the violence. The red symbolises the blood shed.”
She concluded by highlighting that all women, young and old, transgender, lesbian, gay men, and straight men who are fighting the same course are welcome to be part of the march.
Metro Police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said the force were ready for the march.
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