Share

Wits students join country wide march against gender-based violence

Hundreds of University of the Witwatersrand students, led by women, took to the streets to protest against the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide on Monday.

This comes after a dark period that saw South Africans mourning the brutal murder of University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyane, South African boxer Leighandre "Baby Lee" Jegels, Jesse Hess and the kidnapping of Amy'Leigh de Jager outside her school in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.

These senseless killings prompted the nationwide #AmINext movement, with victims of abuse calling out their alleged abusers which was documented on a viral thread over social media app Twitter.

ALSO READ: 'Am I next?' MPs agree it's time for greater action to fight violence against women

Wits SRC president Sisanda Mbolekwa told eNCA on Monday afternoon that the institution had joined the march in solidarity as "it is a microcosm of society".

"What happens outside of campus happens in this institution as well.

"There are 38 000 students at Wits, more than half of them being women and the burden of safety should not lie with the victims," she explained.

The students handed a memorandum over to management with a list of demands including additional safety measures such as the distribution of rape and safety kits.

"Wits operates [currently] on a donation basis, we have had some paid directly to the suppliers account - we collected some today which will be dropped off on campus," Mbolekwa added, referring to the kits. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do airplane mishaps have any effect on which airline you book your flights with?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, these things happen. I pick based on price
48% - 1142 votes
Yes, my safety matters. I don't take any chances
52% - 1219 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.19
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.98
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.56
-0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.50
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.3%
Platinum
917.00
+0.5%
Palladium
1,007.00
+0.2%
Gold
2,322.14
+0.3%
Silver
27.30
+0.5%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,799
+0.3%
All Share
74,714
+0.3%
Resource 10
62,196
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,376
-0.6%
Financial 15
15,840
+0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE