Join the march for change: Honouring Uyinene Mrwetyana at Parliament

The life of Uyinene Mrwetyana will be commemorated in an anti-gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) walk from Darling Street, District Six, to Parliament on Saturday, August 23.

The commemorative walk, themed Reimagining Safety: Developing the Boy Child as Catalysts for Change, is organised by the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (UMF), in partnership with the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Langa For Men

The event will honour the memory of Uyinene Mrwetyana and all victims of GBVF. It will also highlight the role of nurturing, educating, and empowering boys as part of building a safer society for all.

Uyinene, a 19-year-old UCT student, was raped and murdered by postal employee Luyanda Botha at the Clareinch post office in 2019 (“Student’s murder causes uproar,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, September 5, 2019).

UMF managing director, Thobeka Msengana, said that "Reimagining safety” means shaping a society where boys grow up understanding that respect, equality, and accountability are non-negotiable.

“If we want a future without GBVF, we must start by raising boys who will stand as defenders of human dignity,” she said.

The walk will bring together the foundation’s partners, civic organisations, government representatives, institutions of higher learning, and the Cape Town community. Participants will march from Darling Street, District Six, to Parliament, where speeches will be made in honour of Uyinene and all victims of GBVF. 

Speakers who will be attending the march include former provincial MEC of Health and Member of Western Cape Parliament,  Professor Nomafrench Mbombo, UCT deputy vice-chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, UCT student representative council president, Thando Lukhele, and the first recipient of the Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship at UCT, Luhlanganiso Majebe.

To join the walk, contact Velisile Bukula at 071 642 3495.