Rachel Kolisi Recalls Anti-GBV March Experience 7 Years Ago: "We Refused to Disperse"

• Rachel Kolisi shared a throwback photo from a GBV march held after Uyinene Mrwetyana's murder, recalling a harrowing confrontation with authorities
• The activist and former wife of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi voiced her frustration after eight women were murdered in the Kempton Park area
• Kolisi also criticised President Ramaphosa for failing to label the killings as GBV in his public response

Rachel Kolisi is not staying silent. The activist and former wife of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi took to Instagram on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, to share a sobering throwback photo from a gender-based violence march held seven years ago, and her caption made it clear that very little has changed since.

The post was prompted by the murders of eight women in and around Kempton Park, a wave of killings that has horrified South Africans and reignited urgent conversations about femicide. Kolisi's reaction was raw: in a separate post, she wrote, "I feel sick. Exhausted." She also declared that she would cast her vote in the 4 November elections for whichever party was actively working to address femicide.

Read also

Minister visits where Elizabeth Moselakgomo was found dead, but South Africans remain sceptical

What Rachel Kolisi experienced at the March

The throwback image taken by Kolisi shows a placard that reads: "The only thing necessary for evil men to triumph is for good men to do nothing." She recalled marching after the murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana, the young woman whose death sparked a national reckoning with GBV in 2019.

"I remember the president coming to address us with promises and then being told to disperse," Kolisi wrote. "When we refused, we were shot at."

She went on to reflect on the years that followed, sharing how deeply she had committed herself to the GBV fight since that march. She also drew attention to the non-profit organisations doing the heavy lifting that the government has left undone, pointing followers toward Mosaic NGO as a cause worth supporting. "For the non-profits doing the work the government is responsible for, it's so hard, especially because of the lack of funding and general support," she wrote.

Read also

Kamo Bombe calls on Jacinta amid Gauteng GBV crisis: "Please stand with us"

Adding further fuel to public anger, Kolisi and others were incensed that President Ramaphosa, in his response to the Kempton Park murders, did not label the killings as GBV, a perceived oversight that many felt minimised the gendered nature of the violence.

Mzansi Reacts to Kolisi's Post

The post drew an outpouring of support from followers who found her words both painful and necessary.

@dianekrielrealestate wrote: "So much respect for you! And you are right, we need the good men to stand up and help us 💔😢"

@life_of_lails said: "Heartbreaking 💔 so much respect for you!"

@ms_ramolahloane shared her own experience: "We were there, Rachel, marching to Parliament. Years later, we are STILL within the same mess. I honestly do not know what should happen for our cries to be heard! Haikhona!"

@curlycurvycharlie offered a rare glimmer of hope, writing: "I honestly can't scream any louder. I must say I'm very proud of my sons, though, because when I brought up what the SAPS said to women, my sons immediately responded, but why is it only on women to be careful? Why are we not putting this on men, as they are the perpetrators? It made my heart glad to know I'm raising boys who get it!!"

Read also

Dineo Evelyn Motapane Identified as Sixth Woman Found Dead in Ekurhuleni Since July 2026

Kamo urges Jacinta

In a previous report from Briefly News, Kamo Bombe urged Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma to champion South African women as Gauteng’s GBV crisis deepens,

Jacinta responded with a powerful promise to fight the system now.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News