Disclaimer: All images in this article were obtained from online sources.

Changing your profile picture to purple is easy, but not performative. Fighting gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa means taking action, speaking out, disrupting the status quo, and holding people accountable. A purple profile is just the start, it’s a signal that you care… BUT if it’s not followed by real, collective action, it’s nothing more than a click.

South Africa has a long, continuous and devastating history of gender-based violence. Women have been targeted, murdered, raped, and silenced for years, often with little or no justice served. Despite years of public outrage, campaigns, and promises from government, the crisis persists and in many ways, deepens.

According to the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) data for October–December 2024, there were 6,953 murders during that period. Of those, 961 victims were women and that’s about 10 to 11 women killed every single day. Over the years, women have consistently made up around 14% of all murder victims in South Africa, and the true number of femicides (murders motivated by gender or committed by intimate partners) is likely higher due to underreporting and incomplete data.

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) found that 1 in 3 South African women, roughly 7 million have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Almost a quarter of those assaults were committed by intimate partners. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) estimates that 60% of women killed in South Africa are murdered by a current or former intimate partner.

In a country that records roughly 64 murders per day, the numbers reveal a sobering truth: at least one woman is killed every 2.5 hours. Behind these statistics are human lives; daughters, sisters, mothers, and partners whose names rarely make the headlines.

Women for Change Calls for Action

In response to this ongoing emergency, Women for Change, one of South Africa’s leading GBV advocacy organisations, has called for a G20 Women’s Shutdown on Friday, 21 November 2025.

Their message is simple yet powerful:

“Until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress. We demand that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide be declared a National Disaster. Not tomorrow. Not at another summit. Now!”

Changing your profile picture to purple is a start, a visual statement of solidarity, but it cannot end there. Activism must move from screens to streets, from hashtags to households, from reposts to reform.

Until South Africa stops burying women every 2.5 hours, we cannot talk about growth, progress, or freedom.

The time for change is not tomorrow. Not at another summit.
It’s now.

On 21 November, South African women are urged to withdraw their labour, their care, and their presence to make the country feel the weight of their absence.

But if you can’t safely participate in the shutdown, your voice and support still matter. You can stand in solidarity by:

• Signing petitions calling for Gender-Based Violence and Femicide to be declared a National Disaster.
• Donating to and supporting survivor-led organisations and shelters providing refuge, counselling, and legal aid to victims.
• Sharing verified information about the G20 Women’s Shutdown to raise awareness online and in your communities.
• Demanding accountability from employers, universities, and community leaders to recognise the day and take a public stand.
• Amplifying survivor voices and challenging the silence and stigma that allow abuse to thrive.