The anti-migrant movement March and March will hold a national day of action against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) on Wednesday, with demonstrations planned in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, calling on men to take a stand against the killing of women.
The movement had initially planned the day’s action around undocumented immigration following its June 30 nationwide protest, which called on illegal immigrants to self-deport.
Speaking to IOL on Monday, movement spokesperson Sandile Dube said the organisation had redirected the focus of the planned action in response to recent killings and the country’s wider crime crisis.
“We actually announced it earlier. It was going to be a National Day of Action against illegal immigrants,” Dube said.
“But we cannot ignore the latest developments in the country, especially crime in general, but in the main, gender-based violence crimes.”
Dube said the movement was also concerned about recent mass killings, including the deaths of 18 people at a tavern in Wedela, near Carletonville in Gauteng, and 16 people in three separate Western Cape shootings.
“In the midst of gender-based violence, there is crime, heavy crime in general, that we also want to speak against,” he said.
Calls for Gauteng community safety MEC
The movement is also calling on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to restore a dedicated MEC for community safety.
The community safety portfolio was moved to the Office of the Premier after changes to the provincial government.
Dube said the arrangement was not working effectively.
“You can recall that in the past, it used to be MEC Faith Mazibuko who used to run that portfolio. She was available on speed dial. But now, since it’s the premier of the province, we feel it’s just redundant,” he said.
He argued that Gauteng, which he claimed accounts for more than 40% of the country’s crime, needed a dedicated member of the provincial executive responsible for community safety.
“A province with almost half the crimes in South Africa cannot function like other provinces. You need a dedicated MEC of Community Safety.”
Immigration remains part of movement’s agenda
Although the focus of Wednesday’s action has shifted, Dube said the movement’s opposition to undocumented immigration remained central to its activities.
“You cannot dissociate March and March movement from illegal immigration. Our primary focus has always been an anti-illegal immigrants stance,” he said.
“But equally, you cannot be stuck on that stance while there are developments in the country which affect the people of South Africa. In any case, a fight against gender-based violence has always been one of our pillars.”
The main demonstrations will take place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, while organisers are awaiting confirmation of actions in other provinces.
Marches planned in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal
In Gauteng, protesters will gather at Church Square in Tshwane at 9am before marching through the City Centre and Sunnyside towards the Union Buildings.
Dube said the route through Sunnyside was intended to “make as much noise against the killing of women as possible”.
The movement plans to hand over a memorandum to the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the main march will begin at Albert Park in Durban at 9am and proceed to the provincial police headquarters.
Dube said organisers were awaiting confirmation of a planned march in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune District. Cape Town was also expected to hold a demonstration, while plans for the Eastern Cape remained uncertain.
Men urged to speak out
Dube said the action would be an all-men’s march against GBVF, although women were also encouraged to attend.
“We’ve called men to come out in all of this to say men cannot be silent when women are being murdered,” he said.
Women were welcome because they were the primary victims of the violence being protested.
“It would be nice to be joined by women at the starting point, but during the march, they can just be in the middle, men in the front, so that we show a sign of men … we are the perpetrators,” he said.
“I want to show that message very, very clearly to say it cannot happen in our name, on our watch as men.”
Dube said the movement did not know how many people would attend.
Organisers promise peaceful marches
Dube said the demonstrations would be peaceful and would not involve looting or violence.
“From our track record, marches that are especially called by the national March and March are heavily guarded,” he said.
He said the movement did not support looting or the destruction of property.
“We can’t defend a looter. We can’t defend a person that breaks property. It takes years and years to come up with the infrastructure that we have, and we cannot destroy it.”
Dube said anyone who broke the law should be arrested.
“Accountability is always with the government. Ours is a very clear call to say anyone who breaks the law, the government must just arrest that person.”
Dube criticises government’s GBVF response
President Cyril Ramaphosa formally classified GBVF as a crisis at the G20 Social Summit on November 20, 2025.
Despite this, women continue to be killed across South Africa.
Dube said he believed the government’s response had not gone far enough.
“I think the government has done a very good public relations exercise on the issue of gender-based violence, not necessarily operationalising it,” he said.
He compared the response to the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, when a national committee was established to co-ordinate the response and report regularly on progress.
“You need to have a very clear steering committee that talks to the issues around gender-based violence, which must report, have a clear chairperson and make those regular reports,” he said.
“But for now, it’s just silent. It’s just a PR exercise.”
Ramaphosa vows stronger response
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has said the government must take responsibility for protecting women from GBV as police investigate the deaths of 11 women whose bodies have been discovered across Ekurhuleni over the past two months.
“Government is there to protect the people of South Africa, plain and simple. So when things like these happen, government should take responsibility,” Ramaphosa said.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the ANC Veterans League fundraising golf day in Woodmead, Ramaphosa said the government would strengthen its response by deploying more resources and technology.
“We will be pulling out all stops to find these perpetrators,” he said.
An inter-ministerial committee would also develop initiatives in response to the crisis.
“We are taking this very seriously,” Ramaphosa said.
He also called on men to change how they viewed and treated women.
“The women of our country, broadly and countrywide, the women of South Africa should never have to live in fear of men,” he said.
“Men should never regard women as their playground, as people or citizens that they should harm or even kill.”
He said men should respect and honour women.
“The women of our country are the builders of the nation. They carry this nation on their shoulders. Now to abuse them and to even kill them is a real blight against all of us,” he said.
