A placard calling for an end to gender-based violence during a protest outside a Khayelitsha court against the bail application of a man accused of rape and murder.
As South Africa marks Women’s Month, activists are questioning what there is to celebrate, as women continue to face gender-based violence, femicide, poverty and insecurity — nearly nine months after gender-based violence and femicide was declared a National Disaster.
Abahlali baseMjondolo said impoverished women, particularly those living in shack settlements, continue to carry the burden of keeping their families together while facing inadequate housing, basic services and safety.
“This is not a month of celebration. No woman is truly free in South Africa. All women are at risk of violence. Impoverished women remain profoundly oppressed,” the organisation said.
Abahlali said women in informal settlements could face danger simply while trying to access basic services, with some forced to walk to communal taps after dark.
