Nearly seven years after Uyinene Mrwetyana’s death, her daily walk to the University of Cape Town became a route of remembrance over the weekend.

On Saturday 22 August 2026, the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (UMF) retraced her footsteps. The foundation partnered with UCT for the annual walk.

Participants walked from Roscommon House, where Mrwetyana lived, to UCT’s Upper Campus.

Mrwetyana was a 19-year-old first-year film and media studies student at UCT when she was raped and murdered by post office employee Luyanda Botha at Clareinch Post Office in Claremont on 24 August 2019.

In November 2019, the Western Cape High Court sentenced Botha to three life sentences.

Mrwetyana’s death sparked national outrage over gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

A mother’s mission

UMF co-founder Nomangwane Mrwetyana, Uyinene’s mother, said the walk was more than a journey.

“The walk is not simply a journey from one place to another,” she said.

She said the walk reminded people of Uyinene’s journey as a young woman building her future through education.

It also reminded people that the safety of young women and men should never be taken for granted.

The Mrwetyana family established the foundation to honour their daughter’s life and continue the fight against GBVF.

From awareness to action

Under the theme “From awareness to action: Building communities that protect,” the walk turned remembrance into collective responsibility.

The walk challenged students, communities and institutions to move beyond speaking about GBVF. Organisers urged participants to take practical action to prevent violence and support survivors.

Anele Siswana, a member of the National Council on GBVF, delivered the keynote address. President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed the council members in August this year.

The National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act 9 of 2024 established the council. Siswana is a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of the Free State. His participation brought a national perspective to the call for stronger action against GBVF.

Walk organiser Langa Nyanda said they invited Siswana to outline the council’s plans.

“We brought Anele Siswana to come speak, who was part of the seven-member council appointed by the president on the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide,” Nyanda said.

“He is appointed for the next three years to come speak, to see what actions as the council they plan on implementing in the term of office.”

Nyanda said UCT hosted a wall of pledge booths in remembrance of all victims of GBVF.

“We had great partners in UCT, as always, where there’s also going to be a wall of pledge booths in remembrance of all victims of gender-based violence,” Nyanda said.

Partnering with young men

Nyanda said the foundation partnered with Langa for Men. The Cape Town non-profit formed after Mrwetyana’s murder and works with boys and men to fight GBVF.

“We had great partners in Langa for Men, because one of our key pillars is youth development,” Nyanda said.

“We wanted to partner with Langa for Men, who have been doing great work in the community of Langa in terms of psycho-educating boys within the high schools, giving consent talks as well.”

Nyanda said they invited students from Langa High School and other schools to join the march.

“We also invited the students of those respective schools Langa High School and they were also an important part of the march and remembrance and pledging as well,” Nyanda said.

A personal journey

For the Mrwetyana family, the significance was deeply personal. Participants walked the same route their daughter once travelled to attend university.

A familiar journey became an act of remembrance and a call for change.

The walk ended at UCT’s Upper Campus, where speeches and psycho-educational engagements focused on GBVF. These sessions aimed to equip students with knowledge and practical tools.

Students learned to recognise harmful behaviours and support those affected by violence.