Expats in London to stage protest against GBV in South Africa
Operation Watershed, a civil society initiative mobilising South Africans abroad, will stage a protest in Trafalgar Square, London, on Saturday, 26 April 2025, in solidarity with the Justice for CweCwe movement and in unequivocal condemnation of the escalating gender-based violence (GBV) crisis in South Africa.
The demonstration calls for urgent, decisive action from the South African government and international attention to what has become one of the country's most pervasive human rights violations.
The protest was catalysed by the recent, horrific case of Cwecwe , a seven-year-old girl who was reportedly raped – a crime that has shocked the nation, resulting in large protests across major cities, and reigniting urgent demands for GBV to be declared a national emergency.
Her name joins a growing list of victims whose pain continues to expose the systemic failures in South Africa's approach to gender-based violence.
Despite the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF in 2020, South Africa remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a woman or child.
Between July and September 2024, there were 13 283 sexual offences reported, including 10 590 rapes.
These numbers do not reflect the full extent of the crisis, with estimates suggesting that up to 95% of sexual assaults are never reported, often due to fear, stigma, and a lack of trust in the justice system.
'The government is failing GBV survivors through underfunded and insufficient access to services, a justice system that rarely delivers, and a police and healthcare response that often fails to support or protect them,' said Elias Mtshweni, one of diaspora mobilisers.
Operation Watershed are in full support of the call for Gender Based Violence and Femicide to be declared a national emergency.
The situation is dire.
In the 2023/2024 period, South Africa recorded the murders of 5 578 women, with a 33.8% increase in femicide, according to advocacy group Women for Change.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, an average of 117 rapes were reported each day.
For comparison, murder statistics stood at 72 per day – a stark indication of the extreme and disproportionate violence faced by women and girls.
Earlier this month, on 11 April 2025, Women for Change led a mass march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, delivering a memorandum and petition signed by over 150 000 people, calling for immediate action and accountability from the South African government.
Operation Watershed's demonstration is aligned with these demands and aims to amplify the voices of the countless survivors and advocates across South Africa and the diaspora.
Activist and event organiser, Nomonde Joya said, 'There is an urgent need for a comprehensive and systemic action plan to protect the most vulnerable; beginning with children who are often the first to suffer the devastating, life altering consequences of this tragedy, robbed of their innocence far too soon.'
The demonstration is being supported by members of the South African diaspora in the United Kingdom and has already garnered backing from political parties within South Africa.
Protest organisers are working collaboratively with politicians, civil society organisations, advocacy groups, and charitable foundations – both in South Africa and internationally – to develop a comprehensive memorandum.
This document will outline urgent demands, including the strengthened enforcement of GBV legislation, increased and sustained funding for survivor support services, mandatory specialised training for police and healthcare personnel, and the formal declaration of gender-based violence as a national state of disaster.
Organisers are committed to ensuring that the process is inclusive and representative of diverse voices and lived experiences.
They are actively engaging with Members of Parliament in advance of the memorandum's submission to the National Government.
This initiative serves not only as a call to action for policymakers, but also as a powerful reminder to all South Africans – at home and abroad – of their collective responsibility to hold elected leaders accountable and to demand justice, protection, and dignity for all.
'As Freedom Day approaches, we must confront the harsh truth: there is no real freedom while women and children live under the constant threat of violence. This is not only a gender issue – it is a national moral failure,' emphasised Hayley Reichert, founder of Operation Watershed.
Members of the public are urged to attend the protest at Trafalgar Square on 26 April at 10:30.
Bring your voice, your presence, and your unwavering demand for justice.
We are facing a national emergency – silence is complicity, and inaction costs lives.
Now is the time to rise, silence is no longer an option.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
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