STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR OF THE CAPE WINELANDS DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY
24 NOVEMBER 2025
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
South Africa continues to face the persistent and devastating pandemic of gender-based violence (GBV). As the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), we stand firm in our belief that the fight against GBV cannot be limited to a campaign of 16 days. It must be a commitment we uphold 365 days a year.
To officially launch the 2025 campaign, the CWDM joined hands with partners on Friday, 24 November, in Drakenstein Municipality. Representatives from the National Prosecuting Authority, Western Cape Department of Social Development, Drakenstein Municipality, the Thuthuzela Care Centres in the district, SAPS, Correctional Services, and various community-based organisations came out to show united solidarity against GBV.
While this annual campaign provides an important platform for awareness, our goal is much bigger: to drive a sustained, year-round, proactive approach that empowers communities, protects the vulnerable, and restores dignity. Gender-based violence affects every sector of society, and therefore every one of us has a responsibility to be part of the solution.
It remains deeply troubling that so many GBV cases go unreported. To the women, children, and men who suffer in silence: the CWDM wants you to know: “you are not alone.” There is help, and there is hope. We call on every government sector, every official, and every community leader to act decisively. Do not look away. Do not excuse abuse. Speak out, intervene, and protect. Together we must ensure that victims can safely access support and that perpetrators face consequences.
The CWDM has implemented various programmes, community dialogues, activist events, and capacity-building workshops aimed at confronting and preventing GBV across our district. With our partners, we reaffirm our pledge made in previous years to reject all forms of gender-based violence, including the growing threat of digital violence against women and children.
We also express our strong support for the Department of Social Development, Provincial Government of the Western Cape and its initiatives to eradicate GBV. We urge all spheres of government to continue strengthening collaboration, enforcement, and prevention efforts so that every resident of the Cape Winelands can live in dignity and safety.
Today, we renew our call to action:
Let us unite.
Let us speak out.
Let us protect one another.
And let us commit not for 16 days, but 365 days to ending gender-based violence in our communities.
There can be no excuse. Not now, not ever.
Executive Mayor
Ald (Dr) Elna von Schlicht
