As Women’s Day 2025 is fast approaching, a different kind of tribute unfolded at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton, a raw, soul-piercing performance of Shwele Bawo: A Grave Injustice, the award-winning one-woman play by acclaimed actress and playwright Motshabi Tyelele.

Hosted by Brand South Africa, the special showing was not just a performance; it was a reckoning. Drawing gasps, tears, and a standing ovation, Shwele Bawo peeled back the polite surface of women’s month to confront the violent truth many South African women live with daily.

Read more: Theatre on the Square sparks excitement with A Doll’s House, Part 2 premiere

Tyelele’s haunting monologue tells the story of a woman pushed to the edge by years of abuse, but the story is more than fiction; it’s rooted in real, ongoing trauma, one that Women’s Day risks glossing over if it becomes performative.

After the show, a panel tackled the broader issue of gender-based violence (GBV) with frankness and frustration. Tyelele said: “Nothing has changed. If anything, it’s got worse. I wrote this over 20 years ago, and I still feel the same urgency to perform it today. I told myself: ‘If I have to act this play until I am 95, then so be it’.”

@caxtonjoburgnorth Motshabi Tyelele’s performance of Shwele Bawo: A Grave Injustice at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton on August 7, 2025. #Sandton #Theatre ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

Tyelele added that Women’s Day is not just about celebrating women; it’s about listening to them. “Right now, what they are saying is, we are not okay.” Tyelele closed the dialogue by urging institutions, schools, and corporate South Africa to make space for theatre as a vehicle for change.

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!