Wanja Maina, CPM, the writer. Photo/Newsflash
By Wanja Maina
Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa, 22nd November 2025
simplyhannahwanja@gmail.com
A lot was happening in South Africa last week.
The G20 Summit had its fair share of drama, including a diplomatic storm between Washington and Johannesburg.
The United States was expected to attend but boycotted the meeting, citing claims that “South Africa is allegedly killing the Afrikaners.” South Africa was scheduled to hand over the G20 presidency to the United States, but after the boycott, President Ramaphosa announced he would hand it over to an empty chair.
What followed was a war of words. Washington accused Ramaphosa of “running his mouth a little bit,” while Johannesburg fired back, calling Washington a bully and insisting the G20 would continue with or without them.
Rising tensions, rising voices
Amid all this political theatre, women in South Africa staged the G20 Women’s Shutdown, a nationwide protest against gender-based violence.
The timing was strategic, coinciding with the G20 Summit to capture attention both nationally and internationally.
The statistics are shocking. South Africa has some of the world’s highest femicide rates, with UN Women estimating that women are killed five times more than the global average. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 5,578 women were murdered, and 42,569 cases of rape were reported—though an estimated 95 percent go unreported.
One in three women has experienced physical violence, and nearly 10 percent have suffered sexual violence.
The protest was organised by the NGO Women For Change, which urged women to refrain from all paid and unpaid work for the day and to spend no money, demonstrating the economic and social impact of their absence.
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Their statement read: “Because until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress.”
At Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, where I attended, women staged a peaceful 15-minute silent lie-down protest, representing the 15 women killed daily by gender-based violence.
The memo asked participants to wear black with a touch of purple, though I missed it and showed up in my red dress.
Many, including Grammy Award–winner Tyla, changed their social media profiles to purple, showing solidarity online.
Powerful moment of reckoning
Survivors of gender-based violence wept as they lay on the ground. Others held placards with messages like “Why do you hate us?” and “My body is not your crime scene.”
The scene was emotional and powerful—a nation’s grief and outrage laid bare.
Unlike in Kenya, the gathering was peaceful. There was no teargas, no harassment, no chaos.
Yet it was clear the government was embarrassed. Under the spotlight of the G20, Ramaphosa publicly declared gender-based violence a national disaster.
Whether this was to cover the country’s shame or because the moment demanded urgent attention, it was a significant step.
South Africa is full of contradictions. Wealth and danger coexist side by side, with extreme inequality.
Read more: The untold story of Kenya’s dairy women
Being part of this protest made me think about Kenya. Just like South Africa, gender-based violence is a pressing issue at home.
As we approach the 16 Days of Activism, we must look inward, challenge societal attitudes, and demand real protection for women and girls.
The organisers later shared a statement on Instagram, celebrating their recognition: “We have won. We have written history together and we have finally forced the country to confront the truth. Our persistence has been recognised.”
Attending the G20 Women’s Shutdown was not on my 2025 bingo card, but I was there—witnessing history, a sea of women demanding justice against a backdrop of political drama, global diplomacy, and a national reckoning over gender-based violence.
Wanja Maina, CPM, is a certified professional mediator, the Chairperson of PWDs at the Jubilee Party, and represents Nalafem in Kenya
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