We cannot look away... this is on all of us
by Jean du Plessis, 27 September 2026
The terrible truth takes time to sink in. That ghost voice echoing in your mind. Please, no, this
cannot be true. Not to her. Not to anybody, of course; but especially not to her! Surely, “no”
meant “no”. Surely, “please, no, you are hurting me” also meant “no”, yet more urgently,
desperately. Surely the scream would have been enough to make him stop?
It did not. It happened. A friendly date gone horribly wrong, way past second, even third base, in
spite of her repeated refusal. An ordeal to wish on no-one, leaving her with a multitude of dark
future minutes, hours, days, months, years to come. Dodging all the terrible triggers, trying to
learn how to cope with the memory of being violently taken by a friend you assumed could be
trusted.
Her young world, that colourful universe of curiosity, awe and wonder, brutally and irrevocably
ripped to pieces in those quick, awful few moments that felt like a lifetime.
One of many real-life scenarios that play out daily in our country, in different forms and at an
unbelievably high frequency. By 2020 an average of 50 000 rape cases per year were being
reported in South Africa, that is almost 150 per day – five times the global average – with only
about 14% of reported cases reaching trial, of which just 7% are successful. Given that many
cases are never even reported, these numbers are frightening, and not improving.
The scourge continues, with public attention periodically aroused, in successive waves of
frustrated, futile fury. Here we are, yet again. This time reading about the horrific deaths of nine
women in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. Our anger and frustration are justified. The various
declarations of swift action we hear in the media are, in most cases, sincere. Yet the hard truth weall know is that the battle is by no means being won.
There are good strategies and solid initiatives underway, some of which have been used to fight
the scourge for years. Yet it is difficult to know what has to be done to end this ongoing,
seemingly unstoppable epidemic of gender-based violence, instead of just trying to mitigate it.
GBV is our bellwether
It was encouraging to hear our President respond to the Ekurhuleni deaths with beautiful words.
Yet it is troubling that we have heard it all so many times before. Reminiscent, in fact of the
“Thoughts and Prayers” routinely rolled out whenever there is another mass shooting incident in
the USA:
“I speak for all of us as I extend my deepest condolences to all families and communities
affected by the killing of women recently found in and around Kempton Park.”
“I have spoken to the Minister of Police and the Acting National Police Commissioner, who
have briefed me on the investigation. I have directed that these cases be prioritised and that no stone be left unturned in bringing those responsible to justice.”
“As a nation, we must stand up for the rights, safety and dignity of women and girls."
“As we do so, our hearts go out to all the families affected by the terrible events in the
Kempton Park area.” 1
We know he has made these promises before. As have the South African Police Services. The task of bringing the numbers down significantly is daunting, and made all the more so by widespread bungling of live GBV cases by both the State and SAPS. It is time for them todramatically up their game, and for us to support and hold them accountable for the results.
We can weep our tears and gnash our teeth, yet the bitter truth is that this is on us. It is for us all
to help fix. We cannot keep pretending not to know that up to half of all rape incidents in South
Africa are committed in familiar homes, by people known to the victims.2 If we genuinely do not
know such important facts, we urgently need to start educating ourselves.
GBV is our bellwether. Every adult in our country has to face up to the fact that we have to be
part of concerted action towards a solution; and has to realize that, if we cannot fix this problem,
we are unlikely to be able to fix anything. Our people are the foundation of our future, and GBV
is tearing us apart.
Springbok Rugby captain Siya Kolisi definitely “gets” this:
“Gender-based violence in our country has been going on for far too long. It’s been going on for so many years, it’s an everyday thing. It’s not just because of the headlines right now, but this happens each and every single day in our country. […] To the men of our country, we need to acknowledge that we are the problem here, and we need help urgently, because without us getting help, this is going to continue.”
So, what can we do? The best is to be proactive and focus on the local. Kolisi advises men to start having conversations with their mates:
“If what is happening in our country is not hurting you as a human being … as a man, how am I going to answer to my sister and daughter. Also, I will be failing my son by not educating myself and making sure that I’m better so that he does not go through the same problems I am going through.” 3
Blocktober
What we have been doing since 2020 in the Blocktober movement against gender-based violence is to actively demonstrate solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence. Our aims are to support organisations working with GBV survivors, to raise awareness amongst participants and the public about the scourge, to undertake activities (in particular solidarity mountain walks and other forms of exercise) with survivors, and to raise funds for the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBC) in Manenberg.
We also have global supporters, in particular in Kenya, whom we encourage to similarly raise
awareness and funds locally.
This all started as just a few people cycling from Newlands up to the King’s Blockhouse, located
just below Devil’s Peak (climbing 500 metres over a distance of 20 km). The idea was to do this
every day of October, and in the process to rename the month “Blocktober”. We were soon joined by walkers and runners, and later also ocean swimmers.
Our initial rides were in solidarity with one particular survivor who had bravely decided to lay a
charge against the person who had raped her, though as the movement grew the number of
individual causes quickly grew with it.
That case dragged out for so long (a classic instance of “punishment by process” of the survivor)
that the rides continued for 200 days, much longer than the month of Blocktober.
Since those early days the movement has grown stronger, year after year, undertaking a variety of initiatives and activities.
In 2023 Cally Silberbauer cycled solo for 6000 km from Cape Town to Kilimanjaro, raising
awareness of GBV and raising funds for the Saartjie Baartman Centre. In August and September
2025, Blocktober collaborated with the Sports Science Institute’s Community Health Intervention
Programme (CHIPs) to establish one of their Optifit branches at the SBC.
Since then a weekly community exercise programme at the centre has successfully promoted the health and well-being of the SBC community, survivors as well as staff. In October 2025,
participants made 430 walking ascents to the King’s Blockhouse, cumulatively walking about
3225 km — roughly the distance from Cape Town to Blantyre, Malawi - in addition to cycling,
running and swimming activities.
Through these ongoing initiatives and activities Blocktober has over the years galvanised
community action and raised significant funds in support of SBC’s expansion of its
Entrepreneurial Hub. Financial dependence can make it much harder for women to leave – or stay out of – abusive relationships. The SBC Entrepreneurial Hub helps GBV survivors to build
income, confidence and greater independence through employment and enterprise opportunities.
Six years since we first rode up to the King's Blockhouse in quiet solidarity with a woman whose
"no" was ignored, GBV is still here. Which means the mountain is still there, too. The walks,
runs, cycles and swims continue — and there is always room in the movement for one more person who has decided that rage alone is no longer enough.
1 From the President’s statement, 15 September 2025 via https://www.thepresidency.gov.za/statement-president-ramaphosakillings-women-east-rand
2 Advocacy Statement: The Ongoing Crisis of Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Offences in South Africa, Akona 25 May, 2026 via https://www.soulcity.org.za/blog/advocacy-statement-the-ongoing-crisis-of-gender-based-violence-and-sexual-offences-insouth-africa
3 “We are the problem”, Siya Kolisi cited by News 24, 18 September 2026.
***
Readers are encouraged to join the Blocktober movement. For
information on how to become involved in its solidarity walks, runs,
rides and swims during October 2026, visit https://blocktober.co.za/.
Also consider donating in support of the work of SBC. Every cent
raised via the Blocktober and Saartjie Baartman BackaBuddy site
goes directly to the Centre: Blocktober and SBC Backabuddy 2026.
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