Young women march alone

The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) young women’s desk said yesterday it will march alone and will not be joining the #totalshutdown march against violence against women and children.

“On August 1, the young women’s desk along with women across the country will be taking a stance against gender-based violence,” the ANCWL said in a statement. “As per the wishes of the organisers of the #totalshutdown march, the young women’s desk will be marching separately due to the ‘disallowance’ of our participation in paraphernalia.

“It is important to state and reiterate that our participation as the young women’s desk seeks to reinforce the voices of all South African women affected by violence and chooses to do so in their partisan identity. Our efforts should be fixed on the struggle against gender-based violence which is a possible reality for every woman, regardless of their partisan identity.”

Organisers of the nationwide #totalshutdown march have vowed to bring the country to a standstill to highlight the scourge faced by women and children. The march will see women and non-gender-conforming individuals march, excluding men.

The organisers were critical of last week’s #100MenMarch organised by the Government Information Systems (GCIS).

Spokesperson Ntsiki Skosana told the men at the Union Buildings that they were “marching against themselves”.

“We did not march with you because you continuously try to pacify us and have symbolic branches of government such as the ministry of women that blames victims. We did not march with you because your intersectoral 100-men march is not intersectional.”

August is observed as women’s month in South Africa.

The ANCWL said it would announce the details of its march, set for the beginning of next month. – ANA

Our participation seeks to reinforce the voices of all women affected by violence...