Timeline of Civil Society Action on GBVF 2018+

August 2018 #TotalShutDown

August 2018: #TotalShutdown marches against GBVF around the country where 24 demands were brought to the government and president.

The #TotalShutdown were nationwide protests against GBVF organised by a civil society alliance of feminist and gender activists, gender non-conforming people and the LGBTQIA+ community which called for a stay away from economic activity and work in order to highlight and politicise the GBVF crisis in the country. The protests culminated at the Union Buildings where a set of 24 demands were brought to President Ramaphosa who made commitments to anti- GBVF activists that the government would listen to their demands and bring about immediate action.

24 Demands

November 2018: the first Presidential Summit on GBVF takes place, and a GBVF Summit Declaration was signed by civil society and government.

This summit was brought about because of the #TotalShutdown marches which demanded political accountability and action against the GBVF crisis in South Africa. A key outcome of the first Presidential Summit on GBVF was the summit declaration that called for the development of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF).

Pre-Summit Engagements by Civil Society

Early to Mid-2018: Mobilisation and Coalition Building

Civil society organisations, activists, trade unions, faith groups, and survivors’ networks begin urgent coordination across South Africa. This led to the formation of broad-based coalitions demanding government action against GBVF.

October 2018: Drafting the Civil Society Declaration

Civil society leaders collaboratively draft a Civil Society Declaration.The Declaration demands:

An independent, accountable National Council on GBVF.
Dedicated funding mechanisms for the NSP.
High-level political leadership, especially from the President.
Multi-sectoral partnerships led in partnership with civil society.

A national pre-summit civil society meeting is convened to finalise the collective position and strategies and where delegates prepared to present a unified voice at the Presidential Summit.
Civil society presents its demands directly to government at the Summit.
The 2018 Summit Declaration is adopted, promising to establish a National Council and an NSP on GBVF based on the input and leadership of all sectors.

Pic: Ground Up

September 2019: GBVF march outside parliament where Ramaphosa addressed civil society protestors.

After the rape and murder of 19-year old student Uyinene Mrwetyana at a post office in Cape Town- in September 2019, thousands of activists came out to protest outside parliament demanding to be addressed by President Ramaphosa who was attending the World Economic Forum on Africa meeting. Civil society activists stated that “enough was enough” and demanded government accountability and action against the GBVF crisis. In his address to activists, President Ramaphosa agreed that the nation was in crisis and promised several thousands of protesters measures to protect women, including harsher punishment to those who commit violence against women and children in South Africa.

April 2020: the release of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, which had been drawn up through civil society and government collaboration.

The NSP on GBVF strategy was developed by the Interim Steering Committee (ISC) on GBVF which was initiated during the Presidential Summit on GBVF in 2018.

The committee comprised various stakeholders, including government departments, civil society organisations, development agencies, academics, and other role-players. The NSP on GBVF provides a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the crisis of GBVF by the South African government and the country in general.

Following the release of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF, civil society mobilised to raise public awareness and build momentum for its implementation.

Efforts focused on educating communities about the NSP's goals, while also spotlighting critical areas that required urgent attention to ensure full and effective delivery.

The Call to Action Collective played a key role during this period, hosting a national webinar series in 2020 that unpacked the pillars of the NSP, explained the societal compact envisioned, and highlighted the necessary legislative and systemic reforms — including the development of the National Council on GBVF. These efforts were critical in keeping public pressure on government and ensuring that the vision of the NSP remained alive beyond its launch.

November 2022: Second Presidential Summit on GBVF where civil society made inputs and demanded state accountability.

The second Presidential Summit on GBVF was themed "Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification, NOW!" by the government. The government stated that it set out to strengthen accountability and accelerate the implementation of the NSP on GBVF. However, civil society members pointed to the fact that there were implementation and communication gaps from the state. Civil society members also highlighted that simple questions could not be answered by the government and the president Ramaphosa. Questions such as: where were the allocated funds spent? When would the promised National Council on GBVF (NCGBVF) materialise? Where were the provincial rapid response teams? What did it mean that five-year goals were reported as achieved when they were only partially met?

Pre-Summit engagements by Civil Society

Civil society participated but raised serious concerns at the 2022 Summit about slow progress, weak political leadership, lack of funding, and failures in establishing an independent, properly representative National Council — concerns that continue today.

In preparation for the Second Presidential Summit on GBVF, civil society organisations intensified mobilisation efforts to build a unified advocacy position.

This was followed by a national hybrid pre-summit meeting, where:

Civil society consolidated its mandate for SCO representatives attending the Summit;
Developed a clear accountability framework to hold government structures responsible for NSP implementation;
Agreed on strategic priorities to ensure that government commitments are transparent, measurable, and actionable.

The pre-summit planning was a critical step in shaping civil society’s collective response and strengthening advocacy for a truly transformative and accountable GBVF response.