GEORGE NEWS - An empty coffin outside George City Hall became a stark symbol of the call to end the killing of women as municipal officials gathered in solidarity against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) today, Friday 18 September.
Dressed in black, officials joined Mayor Browen Johnson in the demonstration following reports of nine women who lost their lives in alleged gender-based violence incidents in Kempton Park and surrounding areas.
The gathering included a prayer and moment of silence, while placards highlighted the extent of sexual and gender-based violence in South Africa.
GBVF activist and George Municipality official Khanyisile Fortuin said the empty coffin represented a demand that no more women should lose their lives to violence.
“Enough is enough! We can no longer normalise women being killed and buried because of gender-based violence,” she said.
“We say, as women: my body, my choice; my body is no one’s crime scene. We have had enough, and this coffin in front of us will remain empty of women’s bodies.”
Johnson (front) said the deaths of women should never be regarded as simply another crime statistic.
Johnson said the deaths of women should never be regarded as simply another crime statistic.
“We are standing behind an empty coffin that symbolises that enough is enough,” he said.
He called on men to help combat violence and urged women experiencing abuse to speak out.
Municipal official Mongameli Kaliko also addressed men, calling for moral regeneration to start within families.
“When women meet you, they must see protection and love, and when children meet you, they must see care,” he said. “As men, we need to lead young boys by example and show them that love can overcome violence.”
Marilyn Olifant, founding director of Legally You, attended the demonstration and said organisations and stakeholders in the district would continue working together to combat GBVF.
Officials concluded the gathering in song, including the isiXhosa song Senzeni Na? - “What have we done?”
A wide-angle view of the solidarity demonstration held outside George City Hall on 18 September 2026, drawing municipal staff and community members together to protest against GBVF.
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