Community Rallies for Justice: Zenande Tshazibane’s Tragic Story Puts Spotlight on South Africa’s GBV Crisis
Viable News Team 
The name Zenande Tshazibane has become a rallying cry in Nyanga and surrounding Cape Town communities, as residents march for justice and demand urgent government intervention in South Africa’s worsening crisis of gender-based violence (GBV).
The 25-year-old woman was brutally raped and murdered, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, on 22 June 2025. Two months later, the pain of her death has not subsided it has ignited an outpouring of anger and solidarity that culminated on Friday in a march to Parliament.
A Cry for Help Ignored
Friends of Tshazibane recount how she sought protection from the justice system but was left vulnerable.
Her friend, Emihle Magadlela, described a harrowing timeline. On 17 June, just five days before Zenande’s murder, they accompanied her to Philippi Magistrate’s Court to file for a protection order against her ex-boyfriend. But the police did not act with urgency.
“On June 22, he went to her house, asked one of our friends to accompany him, but the friend never reached the destination as she was scared. He waited for her to return as she was drinking. As she returned, he raped and murdered her and then locked her inside her house. She was found by a friend lying in bed. The perpetrator is still on the run,” Magadlela said.
For her friends and neighbours, Zenande’s death is not just a personal tragedy. It is proof of systemic failure.
“The Police Are Too Slow”
Community activist and protest organiser, Zuko Mndayi, said residents were frustrated by the police’s handling of the case.
“The police are very slow to make an arrest. They keep asking for the statements. Now he has decided to skip town. Whenever we ask for an update, we keep getting excuses. They keep changing detectives,” he said.
Mndayi added that the suspect is reportedly hiding in the Eastern Cape, but police have not acted swiftly to track him down.
“This is not just about Zenande. This is about the countless women whose cries go unheard, whose killers walk free, whose blood stains our communities,” he said.
The Power of Protest
Friday’s march to Parliament was not an isolated event. Mndayi explained that it was the culmination of a series of demonstrations, each raising the alarm about GBV in different parts of Cape Town.
“We had a march to the Nyanga police station over the murder of Zenande. We had a walkabout and a march around Gugulethu SAPS for the killing of Aisha. Victims from Khayelitsha also reached out to us. This march was about amplifying all those voices,” he said.
At Parliament, marchers handed over a memorandum to a representative from the Speaker’s office. The document demanded urgent, coordinated government action to combat GBV, calling for:
- The immediate arrest of Zenande’s alleged killer.
- The declaration of gender-based violence and femicide as a national emergency.
- Creation of an ad hoc government committee involving the Departments of Police, Justice, and Women, Youth, Children & People with Disabilities (WYPD).
- Strengthened enforcement of protection orders to prevent tragedies like Zenande’s.
- Comprehensive, Parliament-led prevention programmes that tackle GBV at its roots.
The memorandum set a firm deadline: a response from Parliament within 60 days.
“We are here to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We demand action. We demand justice. We demand change,” the statement read.
Mobilising Men, Protecting Women
For Mndayi, the fight against GBV cannot be left to government alone communities must mobilise.
“I think the immediate community-led response to GBV is the mobilisation of men. This moves from the premise that every man is a potential perpetrator, because most victims are killed by people they know. If we can mobilise men and young boys, we can avert them from becoming perpetrators,” he said.
This vision of prevention, activists argue, is as critical as ensuring justice.
Police ResponseWestern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
“A person of interest has since been identified, and detectives are using the available channels to trace the individual. The initial complaint was an inquest and was later changed to a murder following the results of the autopsy,” he said.
Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
A Crisis That Won’t Go Away
Zenande’s tragic story is only one among thousands. South Africa has some of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world. Despite government promises and the launch of national strategies, activists say the crisis is worsening, with cases like Zenande’s proving that women remain unprotected.
For many marchers, the fight is personal. “We are not just walking for Zenande,” one woman said during the protest. “We are walking for our daughters, our sisters, ourselves. We are walking so that no other woman has to die like this.”
As the sun set over Parliament on Friday, the chants of “Justice for Zenande” echoed in the streets of Cape Town. For the community, for South Africa, and for women everywhere, the demand is clear: action cannot wait any longer.
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