The streets fell silent as South Africans lay down to honour women lost to gender-based violence, sending a message that silence is no longer an option.
Dressed in black and carrying the weight of a country perpetually in mourning, hundreds gathered at Constitution Hill on Friday, November 21, 2025, joining the nationwide shutdown organised by Women For Change to honour the lives of the 15 women murdered every single day in South Africa.
At exactly 12pm, participants, including women, children and members of the LGBTQI+ community, lay down for fifteen minutes of silence under the scorching midday sun. Bodies pressed against the burning pavement, many visibly uncomfortable, yet committed to the symbolism of the moment. The air was still. The silence was heavy. The only sound that carried through the venue was the soft, steady calling of the names of the women who have lost their lives, spoken slowly, patiently, and with painful clarity.
The shutdown drew attention to South Africa’s ongoing femicide crisis, which was first declared a national crisis by President Cyril Ramaphosa and later a national disaster, according to Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, this week. By choosing silence over chants or a march, a public plea for justice, accountability and safety for all women.
In the crowd was *Lerato Madonsela from Braamfischerville, Soweto, a mother attending with her 15-year-old daughter, a survivor of a violent assault earlier this year. For Madonsela, joining the protest was not just an act of solidarity; it was a plea for justice.
“It’s very important for me to be here today because I’m supporting my daughter, who has been going through a lot,” she said. In April, her daughter was allegedly raped by a man dressed in full police uniform, mask, badge, and all.
The police officer waited for her daughter at the bus stop, “He called her and said I sent him to fetch her. She refused, he then intimidated her with a gun, forced her into a car, drove her to an area in Soweto and raped her,” she said.
Her daughter now panics at the sight of anyone in police uniform and cannot identify the man because he was masked.
Madonsela immediately opened a case. “The police took my statement and my daughter’s statement. They did all the tests,” she explained. But just three weeks later, she received an SMS saying the case had been closed. “So my daughter didn’t get justice.”
The ordeal has had lasting effects. Her daughter spent a month in a psychiatric hospital and is still on medication to manage nightmares. The trauma has also disrupted their daily lives. Madonsela said she recently lost her job because her performance suffered while she cared for her daughter. “For me to be here at the shutdown is a blessing,” she said. “I’m here for her.”
Women For Change spokesperson, Cameron Kasambala, said the scale of the turnout left her fighting back tears,. “People showed up by the hundreds.” For her, the silent protest demonstrated the collective power behind the movement.
“We matter. Our presence is important. Our voices are powerful,” she said, adding that the willingness of people to lie down in the blistering heat for 15 minutes reflected deep solidarity with victims and families.
She stressed that symbolic gestures from government are no longer enough. She called for proper implementation of policies, transparent communication, specialised training and dedicated units within law enforcement.
“We want real action,” she said firmly. “We have heard enough talking, enough policy promises, enough conversations. The President has acknowledged this crisis on global stages like the G20, that means he must act with the urgency and magnitude it deserves.”
Among those who lay on the scorching pavement was Nompumelelo Chiliza, a University of Johannesburg student, who said she joined the shutdown to stand with women silenced by gender-based violence, including moments in her own life when she could not speak out.
Nearby, Yola Sekgobela from Krugersdorp said seeing hundreds gather felt “inspiring” after years of worsening violence. Lying down, he thought of women who no longer have a voice and families still fighting for accountability. “This has to push leaders to act,” he said.
The 15 minutes may have ended, but the call for justice and accountability continues.
*Not their real name
FEATURED IMAGE: Participants lie down for 15 minutes. Photo: Dikeledi Ramabula
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