This week, the KwaZulu-Natal Government is set to ignite a year-long campaign addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) with a framework extending beyond the traditional 16 Days of Activism. Under the banner #SilwisananeChilo: KwaZulu-Natal Fighting the Shame of GBVF, the campaign will be introduced to the KZN Legislature on Tuesday, marking a drive to mobilise societal action and shift public attitudes towards this pervasive issue.

In a media briefing held on Monday, KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli articulated the campaign’s mission, which aims for a sustained and transformative approach to GBVF across the region. 

“This is not merely a slogan, but a year-long mobilisation effort aimed at rallying society, empowering communities, and most importantly, identifying and holding accountable the perpetrators who continue to terrorise our women and children,” Ntuli said. 

He said the campaign signals a fundamental shift in public awareness, moving from silent tolerance to active resistance, replacing victim-blaming with perpetrator accountability, and episodic campaigns to sustained societal action. 

Through the campaign, KZN commits to changing attitudes, strengthening social solidarity, and building a culture where iChilo — violence against women and children — is rejected, reported, confronted, prosecuted, and ultimately eradicated. 

Ntuli laid out five core areas that define the campaign’s focus:

1. The #SilwisananeChilo campaign highlights a critical and often overlooked issue: the intersection of GBVF with disability. Starting in 2025, KZN will focus on the increased vulnerability of women and girls with disabilities, guaranteeing their full inclusion in all prevention, protection, and support initiatives.

2. The campaign drives a province-wide, year-long citizen education activation. Sustainable change requires not only strong institutions but also an informed, mobilised, and empowered society.

“Throughout the year, we will conduct extensive public education initiatives – through mass media, community-based engagements, social media, and sustained dialogues – to shape attitudes, challenge harmful norms, and deepen public understanding of GBVF,” Ntuli said. 

3. The campaign will use the transformative power of sport, arts, and culture.

“Prevention and awareness are not achieved through policy and education alone; they require engagement that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of our people, using culture, performance, and sport as powerful tools for social change,” Ntuli said. 

4. The campaign sees the role of taxi associations, religious institutions, and traditional leadership in shaping behaviour, reinforcing values, and mobilising communities against GBVF. These sectors can reach ordinary people and communicate messages of respect, accountability, and zero tolerance for abuse in ways that conventional campaigns often cannot. 

5. Leadership is central to changing societal norms. Targeting policy makers, Members of the Legislature, councillors, traditional authorities, political formations, and the media, inviting them to partner actively with the provincial government in confronting GBVF. 

“As the provincial government, we are committing to action every day, not just annually. We declare that violence against women and children will be confronted everywhere, every hour, every day. KwaZulu-Natal will not surrender to this scourge,” Ntuli said. 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za 

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