March and March pivots to national action on GBVF, calls on men to speak out

The anti-migrant movement March and March has redirected a planned national day of action to demand stronger responses to gender-based violence and femicide, with marches scheduled in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

Why the focus shifted

According to IOL, movement spokesperson Sandile Dube said the organisation changed the focus of its planned action in response to recent killings and what it described as 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.”

Planned routes and demands

According to IOL, in Gauteng protesters are to gather at Church Square in Tshwane at 9am and march through the City Centre and Sunnyside towards the Union Buildings. 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, IOL reports the main march will start at Albert Park in Durban at 9am and proceed to the provincial police headquarters.

Broader agenda and calls for provincial safety leadership

According to IOL, Dube said the movement still opposes undocumented immigration, calling it a central part of 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.

IOL reports the movement is also calling on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to restore a dedicated MEC for community safety. Dube argued that Gauteng, which he claimed accounts for more than 40% of the country’s crime, needs a dedicated member of the provincial executive responsible for community safety.

Men urged to take the lead; organisers promise peaceful marches

According to IOL, Dube said the action will be an all-men’s march against GBVF, while welcoming women to attend. He told IOL:

“We’ve called men to come out in all of this to say men cannot be silent when women are being murdered,”

and proposed that men lead the march to send a clear message that the violence cannot happen “in our name, on our watch as men.”

IOL reports organisers have pledged the demonstrations will be peaceful and will not involve looting or violence. Dube said:

“From our track record, marches that are especially called by the national March and March are heavily guarded,”

and that the movement does not support looting or the destruction of property.

Critique of government response

According to IOL, Dube criticised the government’s handling of gender-based violence, saying it has amounted to a public relations exercise rather than an operational response. He told IOL:

“I think the government has done a very good public relations exercise on the issue of gender-based violence, not necessarily operationalising it,”

and called for clearer, accountable structures to coordinate action.