By Emma Olivier
A mass of students dressed in black gathered outside Huis Russel Botman House last night, 11 November, in solidarity for victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). This was in response to a video posted by a survivor in which she states that she has experienced an incident of GBV inside the residence earlier that night. Students at the gathering were singing and displaying purple screens to show their solidarity.
The crowd, not part of a specific group or organisation, but consisting of various students, started forming outside the residence at approximately 22:15 to show their support and spread awareness of GBV in South Africa. From there, they moved in a procession down Victoria Street, stopping to sing outside various residences such as Irene Ladies Residence, Majuba Men’s Residence and Dagbreek Men’s Residence, as well as the Conservatorium. The crowd also made its way to Wilgenhof Men’s Residence, Metanoia Residence and eventually Helshoogte Men’s Residence, after which the students concluded the gathering with a moment of silence outside The Village Residence at approximately 01:45 on 12 November.
One of the students who attended the gathering, Solomzi Mphambo, spoke to Die Matie, saying that the incident had sparked “massive shock” on campus. “We find ourselves here in this space because […] we are angry at what is currently happening on our campus – not just our campus, but our climate in South Africa as well,” said Mphambo.
Huis Russel Botman House posted a statement on Instagram yesterday at approximately 22:30, stating, “Our residence strongly condemns and does not tolerate any form of abuse […]. The affected student was advised to approach the appropriate channels to seek further support and take legal action, should she wish to do so. The perpetrator was suspended immediately from the residence pending further investigation by the university.”
On 11 August, The Stellenbosch University (SU) Anti-GBV Community had submitted a memorandum combatting [GBV] at [SU] for the consultation and commitment of the Rectorate at [SU]”, in which they called on SU “to urgently intervene and implement strong, clear policies that reflect an Anti-Gender Based Violence environment on this campus.” The memorandum proposed that SU create an “independent policy” on dealing with GBV at the university, stating, “The purpose of this would be so that survivors of GBV are better able to identify what it is that they have experienced and find a cohesive document setting out the consequences of reporting the incident.”
On 12 August, SU issued a response, in which it was stated, “After extensive consultation with internal stakeholders, legal experts, and practitioners, […] [SU] has adopted a unified policy framework that integrates GBV, unfair discrimination and harassment.” In the document’s conclusion, it stated, “Your memorandum has prompted critical reflection and action. While we recognise that more must be done, SU’s revised policy, operational plan, and institutional reforms reflect a renewed commitment to addressing [Sexual and] GBV systematically, transparently, and in collaboration with our community.”
At the gathering on Tuesday night, Malalika Ngwenya, one of the members of the SU Anti-GBV Community who compiled the memorandum, said, “As it stands, the university has lumped together unfair discrimination and GBV in one document, and they don’t have one set GBV policy […], which means that everything is handled under this vague umbrella that leaves a lot of room for discretion, and no time constraint and interim help for survivors […].”
With the Women For Change women’s shutdown happening on 21 November, GBV is being placed under the spotlight, and last night’s procession emphasised the reality of this issue. Yesterday, The Stellenbosch chapter of the United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA), along with the Student Representative Council and Student Action 4 Palestine, issued a shared post on Instagram, declaring support of the shutdown and stating in the caption, “UNASA Stellenbosch stands in solidarity with the National Women For Change Shutdown this 21 November […]. This is a fight for safety, dignity, and human rights.”
The shutdown on 21 November will include wearing black to show mourning for victims of GBV, changing profile pictures to purple to spread awareness, neither going to work nor participating in transactions, and observing a 15-minute standstill at 12:00. On campus, this standstill will take place on the Rooiplein.
