Nkayi said that not changing her profile picture shouldn’t be seen as a lack of solidarity with the campaign.
Broadcaster Unathi Nkayi has defended herself from online bullying after one social media user questioned her for seemingly not participating in the Women For Change campaign against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
An Instagram user named Lefentse Mthembu questioned Nkayi about why she hadn’t joined the campaign against GBVF, which encourages users to change their profile pictures to purple.
“If you search for this account now on IG you won’t find it but yesterday this person asked me why my profile pic is not purple,” said Nkayi where she put the user on blast by posting her message on her Instagram timeline.
As a way of raising awareness on the scourge of GBVF, the organisation Women For Change launched a campaign to shut down the nation ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit.
The shutdown officially takes place on Friday, 21 November, 2025, a day before world leaders meet for the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
Focusing on what’s important
On the day, women and members of the LGBTQI+ community across the country are expected to refrain from all paid and unpaid work – in workplaces, universities, homes and communities – to demonstrate the economic and social impact of their absence.
At its core, the campaign demands urgent recognition of the country’s GBVF crisis as a national disaster.
As part of the campaign, people are also encouraged to change their profile picture to purple to make the shutdown visible online.
However, Nkayi said that not changing her profile picture shouldn’t be seen as a lack of solidarity with the campaign.
“As 21 November draws closer I hope the focus is put on what’s important and that the focus remains on the initial message intended and not to troll social media platforms,” Nkayi wrote.
The colour purple represents resistance, unity and remembrance. It’s a visual reminder that women are tired of mourning, tired of fear and ready for change.
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National Disaster Management Centre rejection
In a statement on Monday, Women For Change founder Sabrina Walter confirmed that the National Disaster Management Centre has rejected their petition to declare GBVF a national disaster.
“Seven months after we handed over our petition at the Union Buildings, the National Disaster Management Centre has rejected our petition to declare GBVF a national disaster, claiming that ‘existing frameworks’, such as the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP-GBVF), are sufficient,” said Walter in a statement.
The organisation said its petition has gathered more than 770 000 signatures.
The organisation accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of not keeping his word after he promised to spend 21 billion over five years to fight GBVF as part of implementing the National Strategic Plan, which promised coordination, accountability, and measurable change.
“Five years after President Ramaphosa promised R21 billion to fight GBVF, there are no public reports, no transparency, and no accountability – while 5,578 women were murdered in one year. This is not a functioning system. This is a national crisis,” said the organization.
In a letter responding to Walter, the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Elias Sithole, said GBVF cannot be declared a national disaster.
“I have concluded in terms of the powers afforded to me as the Head of the NDMC, by Section 23 of the DMA, that GBVF cannot reasonably and rationally be regarded as a national disaster in terms of the DMA and therefore cannot be classified as a disaster or be declared a state of disaster,” wrote Sithole.
He added that he does recognise GBFV as a devastating violation of human dignity.
Sithole also said his department and the department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) have agreed to co-host a session where Women For Change can engage the departments further.
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