Peacehaven community leader Hannah Koekemoer, alongside Ward 15 Councillor Prudence Hlanyane, led a march highlighting the fear of women living in South Africa.

The women and men dressed in black walked down General Hertzog Road recently, highlighting the plight of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide. They held various placards with messages calling for the killing of women to end.

The procession walked to Howard Reid Park, where a candlelight prayer session was held in remembrance of the lives of women who have been lost, as well as to honour the survivors who still live to tell the tale of the abuse they have endured at the hands of men.

During the session, different women were given the platform to share their various encounters of abuse. Some said that they had survived rape, domestic abuse, and even workplace abuse. Addressing women, Hlanyane said that it is important for women to speak up and work in unity to end the scourge of abuse.

Hlanyane thanked the men who joined the march. She further highlighted that the fight against GBV is not only for women, citing that it is important for men to also help in the fight for women’s rights. She further prayed for the safety of all women and children in the region.

Speaking to Ster North, Koekemoer said that the objective of the march was to stand in solidarity with the families of the women who had been killed in the past weeks.

“We are calling on authorities to ensure that women can feel safe in their communities. Today we are not handing over a memorandum; we are simply saying that we too don’t feel safe, and we too fear for our lives.”

Koekemoer called for parents to not only speak to the girl child, but to also make the boy child aware of women’s rights and how they need to be upheld. The march fostered a spirit of unity, with the community calling for women’s rights to be advocated for.

Koekemoer thanked YT Security for escorting the march as well as the Sasol Garage in Three Rivers for allowing the marchers to gather there.