From My Heart Why This Matters
I am writing this not just as a coach, author, or speaker but as a woman, a sister, a friend, and a witness.
On 21 November, while I was here in the UK, my heart was firmly in Benoni, South Africa, standing alongside my dear friend Claudia Archary and a courageous group of women who chose to use silence as their loudest form of protest.
These women gathered outside the Benoni Magistrate’s Court for 15 minutes of stillness, lying on the ground, side by side, to honour the lives lost to Gender Based Violence and Femicide, to stand with survivors still fighting for justice, and to represent the countless voices that were never heard.
This was not a performance.
This was not symbolic theatre.
This was a sacred act of truth, grief, and courage.
I have known Claudia for six months. We connected through shared experience, and she is my VA. I know her story. I know her strength. I know the cost of her standing. What she and these women did that day was born out of lived experience, pain transformed into purpose, and a deep refusal to accept that violence against women should be normalised, minimised, or ignored.
And then something extraordinary happened.
Their stand, combined with years of tireless advocacy by women, survivors, and organisations across South Africa, led to a historic outcome:
Gender-Based Violence and Femicide have now been officially declared a National Disaster in South Africa and signed into law.
This matters.
This declaration is not just a statement; it is a legal and moral shift.
It means GBVF is no longer treated as a private issue or a background statistic.
It is now recognised as a national emergency requiring accountability, coordinated response, resources, and action at every level of government.
For me personally, this moment echoes another historic shift I witnessed years ago, when Nelson Mandela walked free, and South Africa showed the world that injustice does not get the final word. When systems change, lives change.
What Claudia and these women have done belongs in that lineage of courage.
This movement did not begin on 21 November, but on that day, it became impossible to ignore.
This page exists to honour that stand.
To document this moment in history.
And to remind women everywhere:
When we rise together, nations shift.
A woman’s courage can shift laws, awaken nations, and restore hope.
This moment in Benoni forms part of a wider global awakening.
From Puerto Rico to the United Kingdom, Australia, and now South Africa, nations are beginning to formally recognise violence against women as a national emergency that demands legal accountability, coordinated action, and lasting change. What happened here on 21 November is both local and global, a stand rooted in community, yet echoing across the world.
To explore the broader context and why this matters for women everywhere, read the complete reflection here When Women Rise, Nations Shift
With love, truth, and unwavering hope,
Verna Haywood