'Is it our souls that you want or a world where no woman exists?' - Zozi Tunzi on GBV

Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi has sparked a conversation around the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV), asking when will enough be enough.

Tunzi, ahead of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, reflected on some of the deaths that have sent shock waves across the world. This includes the death of Tshegofatso Pule, the pregnant 28-year-old who was found stabbed and hanging from a tree in Gauteng.

16 Days of Activism is a UN campaign for no violence against women and children. It takes place annually from November 25 (international day of no violence against women) to December 10 (international human rights day).

“16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is fast approaching and I am reminded of Ingrid Escamilla, who was skinned and disembowelled in Mexico,” said Tunzi.

“I am reminded of Tshegofatso Pule, who was stabbed and hung on a tree in SA. These are only two of thousands of women.”

Tunzi asked when will enough be enough and what it will take for women to live free from GBV.

“Every year we plead, we cry and we march to keep our lives - a human right. So I ask: is it our souls that you want or a world where no woman exists? Answer me that,” she said.

Tunzi is an ambassador against GBV on the African continent. She was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year when he was appointed as the chairperson of the AU.

Tunzi's ongoing work against GBV started back in August 2019, when she was crowned Miss SA.

The night she was crowned, Tunzi said: “We have absolutely no reason to keep smiling because the country's women are dying every day and mostly people are doing nothing about it. It is not up to us; it’s up to perpetrators to start doing right.”

On social media, many women weighed in on Tunzi's statement. Here is what they had to say: