“Who Would You Call?”: Safety Activist Shares What to Do When Your Emergency Contact Is Unavailable

• Cape Town content creator and safety activist Bella Monsoon posted a direct-to-camera video urging South African women to plan for emergencies before they happen
• Her message was prompted by the discovery of nine women's bodies in the Ekurhuleni area, reigniting national conversations about gender-based violence
• South Africans flooded the comments with their own safety habits, from code words to tracking apps, turning the video into a community safety guide

Cape Town content creator Bella Monsoon posted a video on 21 September 2026 urging South African women to think seriously about what they would do if they needed help and no one answered.

Monsoon, who has over 470,000 TikTok followers and works within the safety industry, asked her audience a simple but uncomfortable question: if you needed help right now, who would you call, and what would happen if they did not pick up?

Her video arrived against the backdrop of a deeply unsettling stretch of news. Over two months, nine women's bodies were found dumped across Ekurhuleni, in areas including Kempton Park, Tembisa, and Dawn Park. Identified victims include Dineo Motapane, Gracious Nkomo, Elizabeth Moselakgomo, and Itumeleng Kekana. Police arrested three suspects, and two women have been charged with premeditated murder in connection with one of the victims, Jabulile Ntimba.

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Planning before the crisis hits

Rather than focusing on fear, Monsoon pushed her audience toward practical preparation. She pointed out that common safety habits, like asking a friend to text when they get home, often fall apart because nobody has agreed on what to do if that message never comes. Who follows up? How long do they wait? Who else do they contact?

She also highlighted Samsung SOS Plus, a 24/7 emergency response service with location sharing, as an option for those who do not have a reliable emergency contact. As someone who runs Brave by Bella Monsoon, a personal safety initiative, she encouraged viewers to think beyond relying solely on one person.

Mzansi shares their own safety habits

The comments on Bella's TikTok page became a resource in their own right, with South Africans sharing tips they swear by:

@Dominique Marais wrote:

"In a dodgy situation where there are other people around — don't scream 'help me', rather scream 'I don't know this man' or give a specific instruction to someone watching like 'you — call the police.'"

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@Just Skye said:

"Always have a code word so you can communicate around others without them catching on."

@Adam Baatjes shared:

"Both iPhone and Samsung let you bypass silent mode for emergencies! On iPhone, edit a contact, go to Ringtone, and turn on 'Emergency Bypass.'"

@GI_Janey wrote:

"Try the free IER app, have been using it for years. They have a silent alert option as well."

@Lilly added:

"Sadly, some of us have nobody to call, because a lifetime of survival mode and isolation has made us be alone in the world."

@🇿🇦princessgrasshopper🇿🇦 said:

"I'm a mother, so when I say text me when you arrive safely, and I hear nothing, I'm calling, I'm texting — and if you don't answer, I call the police."

Watch the full video here:

More on safety in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on how a South African teacher in China ran a social trust experiment on the streets, and Mzansi couldn't help comparing it to home.
• A senior police officer appeared in court facing five serious charges, and was moved to a secure facility after reported escape attempts.
• A 73-year-old Bredasdorp woman was killed inside her own home while her husband was just outside, and police are appealing for CCTV footage.

Source: Briefly News