JOHANNESBURG - The young women's desk of the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) said on Tuesday that they would support any gender-based violence march happening on Wednesday, but reiterated that they will not be joining the #TotalShutdown protest.
Last week, the ANCWL young women's desk said that it would march alone and would not join the planned #TotalShutdown march taking place in Pretoria against violence on women and children.
Speaking during a media briefing at the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg, spokesperson for the young women's Feziwe Ndwayana said everyone, including their members, had a choice to march where they want to and should be allowed to do so.
"We are very disappointed in a #TotalShutdown because they have been using every social media platform to talk nonsense about us saying that we are fighting with them," Ndwayana said.
"It seems like they have their own political agenda and we don't want to politicise this. Our match will allow any women from any political party."
The #TotalShutdown movement, which will be marching to the Union Buildings, has said that its march was not open to men because the perpetrators of gender-based violence are mostly men.
The ANCWL young women's desk, on the other hand, will be marching to ANC headquarters Luthuli House in Johannesburg, and they have called on all women, young and old, to join their march.
Ndwayana said they have been in conversations with the #TotalShutdown for over a month saying that they should find a common ground but they did not want to.
She said the struggle was important to them that they would not use it to fight political battles
"We are not competing with any marchers because at the end of the day we want the same thing. We call on all women, young and old to join our march," Ngwayana said.