Protestors prepare to shut down Sandton

Protestors prepare to shut down Sandton

Activists believe the time has come for the government and business to stop talking and start taking concrete action to bring an end to the high rate of femicide.

Total Shutdown women's march
Thousands of women marched through the Pretoria CBD to protest against violence towards women and children. Photo: Sibahle Motha.

Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence has called on women join in the disruption of South African businesses by shutting down the country’s economic hub Sandton.

 

The group asked that all Sandton businesses close their doors and join the march on Friday.

 

It will be taking to the streets to shut the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in Sandton.


ALS READ: Murder, sexual offences on the rise

 

The protest will begin at 3 am and conclude at 3 pm.

           

The group's director Mandisa Khanyile says when they marched during #TheTotalShutdown in August last year they were told that there was no money to help with the scourge of gender-based violence.

 

"With this recent spate of cases that have come up, we thought that would be an opportune time for us to actually continue with the conversations around resource mobilisation. And we found that the private sector specifically has not taken an interest in the scourge and hasn't been making their contribution.

 

"Some of them are actually drivers of GBV themselves, for example, South African breweries well know what happens in shebeens and what happens afterwards. So we are thinking that all JSE listed entities should have a 2% levy that they charge that actually contributes towards the GBV."

 

LISTEN HERE:

Show's Stories