Staff members of Zwaanswyk Academy and Zwaanswyk High School in Retreat staged a peaceful, silent demonstration in solidarity with victims of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) on Friday morning, 18 September.

Their action, which took place in the aftermath of the ninth body of a woman found in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, since July, sparking fears of serial killers running amok in the area, aimed to draw attention to a scourge that has assumed epidemic proportions in South Africa.

Awareness demonstration

Dressed in black, the demonstrators gathered in Main Road outside the schools from 07:30 to 07:50.

The joint initiative aimed to support women and children affected by abuse, while raising crucial awareness of safety, dignity and respect within one’s local community, according to the schools’ head of IT Michael Francis.

Before the event the schools shared a message encouraging the broader school community to unite against the national crisis of GBV.

Organisers emphasised that the quiet protest was intended to send a clear, unequivocal message about their institutions standing firmly against violence.

“It was encouraging to see both schools come together around an issue that affects communities across South Africa,” Francis said.

In a separate event on the same day about 60 residents of Lotus River and Grassy Park joined forces in an awareness march before forming a human chain on the corner of Strandfontein Road in solidarity with the scores of women victims of GBVF.

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