#THETOTALSHUTDOWN: Memorandum of demands

By Staff Reporter

Women across the country's nine provinces joined the #TheTotalShutdownMarch to protest the alarming rates of gender-based violence in South Africa. (David Harrison/M&G)

To His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa

On 1st of August 2018, womxn (both cisgender and transgender womxn) and gender non-conforming people (GNC) will deliver this memorandum to the government of South Africa.

We, the women of this country are aware that gender based violence against women, non-conforming women and intersectional women has reached levels that are unacceptable and cause untold harm. We are also aware of the complex multi-layered factors that have resulted in South Africa being counted amongst the highest ranking countries with unprecedented levels of gender based violence against womxn (GBVAW). We acknowledge that there have been numerous protests and activities undertaken by many Non-governmental organisations and other interest groups in our society fighting this scourge. It is evident to us that without a Total integrated action by all relevant segments of our society as well as political will, nothing will change to eliminate this scourge.

That is why as women, we have been moved to rise, march and protest to demand an end to gender based violence against womxn today.

This document sets out our list of demands to the state. It’s an initial set of twenty four demands that represent each year that the state has failed to ensure our constitutionally entrenched right to be free from all forms of violence since the establishment of our constitutional democracy. We believe that an integrated approach to fight against the GBVAW scourge, where different arms of government work together, has the ability to ensure better protection for women.

We understand that different arms of government have different powers and functions, it is not the intention of our memorandum to comprehensively set out which entity must do what. Our aim is to demand that the state must do everything within its powers, to enable us to realise our right to be free from violence, whether it emanates from public or private sources.