--- title: "Nelson Mandela Bay women stage nationwide GBV protest, saying ‘enough is enough’" description: "On the eve of the G20 Summit, South African women, including those in Nelson Mandela Bay, staged a nationwide shutdown, demanding that gender-based violence (GBV) be treated with the urgency of a national disaster." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE" author: "Daily Maverick" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-23-nelson-mandela-bay-women-stage-nationwide-gbv-protest-saying-enough-is-enough/" published: "2025-11-23T23:54:15" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 317 --- # Nelson Mandela Bay women stage nationwide GBV protest, saying ‘enough is enough’ > On the eve of the G20 Summit, South African women, including those in Nelson Mandela Bay, staged a nationwide shutdown, demanding that gender-based violence (GBV) be treated with the urgency of a national disaster. By Daily Maverick · Published 24 November 2025, 01:54 SAST ## Key points - On the eve of the G20 Summit, South African women, including those in Nelson Mandela Bay, protested against gender-based violence, demanding urgent action as it is declared a national disaster, highlighting systemic justice delays and inadequate prevention measures. - On the eve of the G20 Summit, women's groups in Nelson Mandela Bay participated in a nationwide shutdown against gender-based violence. - Participants held a 15-minute “silent lie-down” to honour every woman who fell victim to the average daily murder rate of women in South Africa. - The government has declared gender-based violence a national disaster, yet essential accountability structures remain inactive. - Rising frustration among women is fuelled by systemic injustices and slow responses to urgent petitions for action. ## Content At noon on Friday, women across Nelson Mandela Bay joined a 15-minute “silent lie-down” — one minute for each woman murdered on average every day in South Africa – as part of a nationwide shutdown. **Read more:**[Gender-based violence and femicide declared national disaster, but with caveats](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-21-genderbased-violence-and-femicide-declared-national-disaster-but-with-caveats/) ![A silent protester at Hobie Beach in Gqeberha during the national Women's Shutdown protest against gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/iWCBCCYVzJVucc4-q2Jgxs9KsBA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_2955copy2_998566_673573308a83e49950105c52999997db.jpg) *A silent protester at Hobie Beach in Gqeberha during the national Women's Shutdown protest against gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Gqeberha, Shark Rock Pier. Eastern Cape. Across the country today,women are taking a stand against gender-based violence.Eastern Cape.. 21 November 2025 (photo Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/MGGWQp1e0rmHrtpqps-CAXlgGr0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_2937-copy_171356_5ac89cbf36c535937c2a761654f6411c.jpg) *Women in Gqeberha are demanding that gender-based violence be recognised as a national crisis. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Gqeberha, Shark Rock Pier. Eastern Cape. Across the country today,women are taking a stand against gender-based violence.Eastern Cape.. 21 November 2025 (photo Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8N9hwO1FZ1KLbkfQ6_bGeak3tzA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_3047-copy_276449.jpg) *Women from across the Bay took a stand against gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Gqeberha, Shark Rock Pier. Eastern Cape. Across the country today,women are taking a stand against gender-based violence.Eastern Cape.. 21 November 2025 (photo Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/tuFH6TK5aF9wbceUrHO1_lZsets=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_2009-copy_865840_d6d0be57642a114fc7d1424a39803361.jpg) *On Friday, protesters from across the Nelson Mandela Bay metro staged protests against the scourge of gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* The government has now officially declared gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) a national disaster, but key accountability structures, like the National Council on GBVF, are still not operational. ![Every voice counts — Nelson Mandela Bay residents protest for an end to gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/WQ382NIS7lw4Y_H1PXksBYRhYx4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_1944copy2_700144_49ec417ca1feaf494abbfa7e1874b09f.jpg) *Every voice counts — Nelson Mandela Bay residents protest for an end to gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Strong, defiant, unbroken — the women of Gqeberha say enough is enough. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/NjWWhF2SRw-cnyixwGnuvK9x2oo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_2969copy2_286013_2a8eccf0403660920ab6052e247d996c.jpg) *Strong, defiant, unbroken — the women of Gqeberha say enough is enough. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Protesters in Nelson Mandela Bay made their voices heard during Friday’s rally. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/y8b1-W6QmJr5tuyLWV2RFa8HKLo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_1971copy_249330_4ee022fa1d898486913cf3ef1c31ff87.jpg) *Protesters in Nelson Mandela Bay made their voices heard during Friday’s rally. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Protesters in Nelson Mandela Bay made their voices heard during Friday’s rally. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/JvBYd0ICM4jE-dUHohi6xqEUBS4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_3148copy2_724974_95337388d3b92f9d12eeeac1685c738c.jpg) *Protesters in Nelson Mandela Bay made their voices heard during Friday’s rally. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![There were emotional scenes in Nelson Mandela Bay as hundreds of women gathered to protest against gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pJhf161dntO5gU-bKm5l4ywv-8Q=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_3055copy2_671242_b8cb6b30994a2ccdbc7a5c98edf8be79.jpg) *There were emotional scenes in Nelson Mandela Bay as hundreds of women gathered to protest against gender-based violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![Lying down in silence, rising in solidarity — the women of Gqeberha are demanding an end to violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/biZGhIB3lAo5vzjNX73hYhNWavs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_2014copy2_157747_c4cb77835ca5c033e48fd7efce316335.jpg) *Lying down in silence, rising in solidarity — the women of Gqeberha are demanding an end to violence. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![A protester makes her message clear with the words ‘Hands off’ written on her face. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pmIholAEdSXv4aiU798sQBe329E=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_1959copy_176456_96ee235c437327175b169a0cef72a389.jpg) *A protester makes her message clear with the words ‘Hands off’ written on her face. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* ![An activist during the protest in Gqeberha on Friday. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/bb2boE1U44-oYeBw4TfP9HWMo40=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2984/DSC_1978copy_856548_0a812879c4651a9e0726eb23b2543940.jpg) *An activist during the protest in Gqeberha on Friday. (Photo: Deon Ferreira)* The shutdown reflects growing frustration as women continue to face systemic delays in justice, insufficient protection and slow roll-out of prevention programmes — even as petitions calling for urgent action gather millions of signatures. **DM**