With purple fabric draped along the fence outside its offices and staff dressed in solemn black, the Caxton Group has stepped forward in solidarity ahead of the Women’s National Shutdown on November 21.

The early support forms part of the G20 gender-based violence (GBV) Initiative, which the company is backing from November 17, a visible invitation to other organisations to stand with South Africa’s women.

For Caxton staff, the show of unity was not symbolic alone; it was deeply personal. Many employees arrived at work dressed in black, their attire a quiet but powerful acknowledgment of the national trauma women continue to endure. In standing together days before the shutdown, they hoped to spark conversation, reflection, and a ripple effect of support across the country.

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South Africa is gearing up for a moment of reckoning. This Friday, women nationwide will put down their tools, close their laptops, and stop their spending for one day, withdrawing their labour, their economic power, and their silence.

The Women’s National Shutdown, led by the non-profit organisation Women for Change (WFC), is a collective outcry rooted not only in frustration, but in the urgent need for survival.

Every two and a half hours, a woman in South Africa is killed. Fifteen women die each day at the hands of gender-based violence. In 2023 alone, more than 42 000 rape cases were reported. These numbers are not statistics, but lives, families, and futures lost, and they form the heartbreaking backbone of this nationwide call for GBV and femicide to be declared a national disaster.

At midday on November 21, the country will fall silent. For 15 minutes, women and allies will lie down in offices, streets, and public spaces to honour the fifteen women murdered every day. Dressed in black, their collective stillness will echo louder than any chant or megaphone.

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WFC, founded in 2016, has become a lifeline for survivors, and a powerful voice demanding reform. With a community of over half a million supporters, the organisation continues to expose injustice, uplift women’s stories, and advocate for long-term, systemic change.

Caxton Group’s early show of support underscores a simple truth: The fight against GBV is not for women alone. It is a national responsibility, and when companies, communities, and individuals stand together, change becomes impossible to ignore, because on the day women stop, South Africa will be forced to confront what it has overlooked for far too long.

If you or someone you know is affected by GBV, you can contact:
National GBV Helpline: 0800 150 150,
SAPS Emergency: 10111, or
Childline SA: 0800 055 555.

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