As we prepare to launch our annual campaign for 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the Soul City Institute is reflecting on the role of political leaders and their various parties. We cannot help but think of the upcoming elections, and the priorities of prospective leaders, amidst the high rates of rape, teenage pregnancy and femicide.

This year, Soul City Institute’s Kgalemelang: From Awareness to Accountability campaign challenges political parties to hold themselves and their stakeholders accountable for their part in ending gender-based violence and femicide.

‘Kgalemelang’ is a Sesotho and Setswana word that means to ‘call to order,’ ‘rebuke,’ and challenge the status quo. We continue to call out the rights violations of girls, young women and LGBTQIA+ persons in 2023, by engaging leaders and representatives of political parties to make a commitment to the full implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for GBVF in their manifestos.

The National Strategic Plan is a government and civil society’s multi-sectoral strategic framework to realise a South Africa free from gender-based violence and femicide. It recognises all violence against women (across age, location, disability, sexual orientation, sexual and gender identity, nationality and other diversities) as well as violence against children.

In 2019 SCI initiated the #YVote4Ucampaign to bring feminist issues to the forefront of the 2019 elections. We evaluated what political parties included in their manifestos, how much focus they put on the rights of women, as well as how they aim to implement their plans for the country. The marriage between our #KgalemelangGBV365 and #YVote4U campaigns is rooted in the intersectionality of politics and the issues faced by marginalised groups in the country.

On the weekend of 18 and 19 November 2023, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) hosted a voter registration weekend. The IEC recorded 2.9 million people who registered and updated their details for the upcoming elections.

Despite voter apathy, the 2024 elections have been touted as a significant election in South Africa’s young democracy. Instead of distracting us with food parcels, dances and kissing babies, we urge political parties to take this opportunity to demonstrate their dedication to creating a safe and equal society for all.

We find that it is important to ensure that GBVF does not become a backdrop of the elections. And take the coming 16 days as an opportunity to challenge and hold accountable those who are seeking to govern, urging them to commit to prioritising GBV through proactive implementation of the NSP in their manifestos.

Therefore, we call upon all political parties in SA to demonstrate their commitment to ending GBV by publicly committing to specific actions that they will take to amplify and contribute to the implementation of the NSP for GBVF. Soul City Institute will distribute a memorandum outlining the role of political parties in GBVF redress. We seek to bring together various political parties and the broader community of South Africans to emphasise the experiences of young women and LGBTQIA+ persons, as well as to set a feminist agenda for the 2024 elections.

Throughout the 16 Days and beyond, we ask South Africans to support us in assessing the seriousness of political parties about ending GBV. Moreover, we seek the support of the media in amplifying our campaign and making #KgalemelangGBV365 a priority for all.