In the past few months, the South African Government, together with partners including the private sector, trade unions and individuals from civil society and other development partners have been working hard to implement the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). This plan came as a result of the 1st National Summit on GBVF in South Africa in 2018.

President Ramaphosa has made it clear that the implementation of the NSP is a national priority. Since then, a lot of progress has been made. The most recent innovation has been to engage six districts in organizing 100-Day Challenges that will mobilize ordinary South African citizens in the fight against GBVF.

The 100 Day Challenges will engage communities beyond the confines of government and civil society organizations; inspiring them to commit to unreasonably ambitious 100-Day goals that will have a direct impact on GBVF in their respective districts. Day ONE for the 100-Day Challenge teams will be March 1st.

Partners from the NSP Collaborative are busy preparing the groundwork for the teams, including engaging district leaders in deciding where to focus and who to involve in this work.

In the next 3 months ambassadors will facilitate the 100-Day Challenge process; heading each of the 6 pillars of the NSP, they will garner support from different communities in 6 different districts across the country. This will be done through various initiatives, encouraging participation and the gaining of knowledge and understanding of the NSP while focusing on accelerating its implementation.

The government has declared 2021 as the Year of Charlotte Maxeke to pay tribute to the women’s generation of 1956 who marched to the Union Buildings. The 2021 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide aimed to echo Maxeke’s fighting spirit, as government and partners are committed to moving from awareness to action and accountability! This challenge belongs to all South Africans across all walks of life; It has been a realization through the collaboration that together we can do more, therefore every citizen in South Africa must consider this as an invitation to be part of the solution!