South Africa will see nationwide demonstrations on Friday as the Women’s Shutdown moves ahead across major cities.
The action is intended to cast a spotlight on the impact of gender-based violence and femicide and coincides with global attention on the country ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit.
According to Women For Change, the organisation coordinating the shutdown, women and LGBTQI+ community members have been asked to withdraw all labour in order to demonstrate the economic and social role they play in the country.
This includes paid employment, unpaid care work, university activity and domestic responsibilities.
The shutdown focuses on renewed calls for government to declare gender-based violence and femicide a National Disaster.
Women For Change says the severity of the crisis demands an urgent national response.
The organisation cites recent annual statistics showing that 5,578 women were murdered in South Africa in a single reporting period.
The organisation also reports that this reflects an increase of 33.8% from the previous year and that the country’s femicide rate is significantly higher than the global average.
In April 2025, Women For Change marched to the Union Buildings carrying an unburied casket to symbolise the number of women killed in the country.
A petition supporting the call to classify gender-based violence and femicide as a National Disaster was presented with more than 200,000 signatures.
The organisation argues that despite government announcements that included a ninety day intervention plan, the response has not kept pace with the scale of the crisis.
The Women’s Shutdown is structured as a collective stoppage aimed at creating a measurable pause in economic and social activity.
Participants have been encouraged to wear black, avoid spending money, and take part in 15 minutes of silence at midday.
The action is intended to reflect the fact that approximately 15 women are murdered in South Africa each day, according to the organisation’s interpretation of available crime statistics.
Demonstrations are expected in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and Bloemfontein.
Organisers say the timing, one day before the G20 Summit, is intended to draw attention from both local authorities and international delegates.
Women For Change says the shutdown is an attempt to ensure that the ongoing crisis is visible at a time when global leaders will be in the country for high level political and economic discussions.
Supporters are being directed to sign the ongoing petition, which continues to call for stronger policy intervention.
The petition proposes reforms such as stricter sentencing guidelines, limits on bail for violent crimes, the full rollout of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, and the public release of the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The shutdown is scheduled to take place throughout Friday with public gatherings and silent demonstrations confirmed at various locations countrywide.
