South Africans Unite Against Gender-Based Violence at the 8 849 Bras for Humanity Exhibition

Johannesburg, South Africa, November 2025: The Impilo Collection Foundation has officially opened its landmark EmpowerHer: 8 849 Bras for Humanity Exhibition at Constitution Hill, a powerful response to what President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national crisis.

On 20 November 2025, the President stated that gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide are South Africa’s “second pandemic”, a national disaster demanding urgent and collective action.

The exhibition, which launched on 26 November and runs daily until 10 December as part of 16 Days of Activism, has already drawn survivors, activists, policymakers, faith leaders, students and community members into a shared space of truth, courage and solidarity.

South Africa continues to face one of the highest rates of GBV globally. According to the South African Medical Research Council, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. Against this backdrop, the installation stands as a public declaration of resistance. Each of the 8 849 bras - one for every metre of Mount Everest - represents a life, a story and a stand against violence.

The movement began during a sanitary-pad distribution when a young girl whispered, “Please bring me a bra next time.”

That moment stayed with Impilo Collection Foundation founder, Angela Yeung, who later carried a bra to the summit of Mount Everest, raising it as a flag of dignity for survivors who often go unheard.

In many under-resourced communities, a bra is a luxury, not a given. For survivors of violence, the absence of such a basic garment is another layer of indignity.

“Every metre I climbed became a voice. This installation is those voices rising together,” Yeung said at the opening.

Anchored in Section 12(1)(c) of the Constitution: “Everyone has the right to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources,” the installation turns a site once used to silence people into a living monument for justice, healing and human dignity.

The exhibition launched with a powerful panel discussion moderated by Samm Marshall, Managing Editor of Social TV.

Drawing from lived experience, psychology, community work and human rights advocacy, panellists offered urgent insights and human-centred strategies for interrupting violence.

“Perpetrators interpret silence as approval,” said human rights defender Jenna Bayer, urging South Africans to move from observation to intervention.

Counselling Psychologist and Head of Campus at SACAP Johannesburg, Jogini Packery emphasised that allyship starts at home. “It starts with how we hold space in our homes.” She called for more psychologically safe environments in households, communities and workplaces.

Clinical & sports psychologist, Dr Tumi Mashego reminded audiences that many South Africans carry unspoken trauma that shapes behaviour. “Hurt people hurt people. We need to have the difficult conversations about GBV.”

Steel artist and GBV survivor Ricardo Enrico Vierra’s testimony of surviving abuse underscored the importance of confronting pain. “Forgiving yourself is letting go of the idea that you deserved it.”

Throughout the discussion, speakers reiterated that dignity is restored through action, from small acts of kindness to challenging harmful norms, supporting survivors and becoming a safe adult for those in need.

Following its Johannesburg run, the exhibition will travel to all nine provinces in 2026 under the theme “Carriers of Courage.”

As the President has urged the nation to confront GBV with urgency and collective responsibility, the Impilo Collection Foundation is calling on corporate South Africa to play an active role in the next phase of this movement. In 2026, the installation will travel across all nine provinces as part of a nationwide roadshow, culminating in the distribution of bras and dignity packs to women and girls in communities where support is needed most.

The Exhibition remains open until 10 December, and the public is invited to experience the installation, add their voices to the Pledge Walls and stand in solidarity with survivors.

For more information visit: https://impilofoundation.org/

Exhibition Details:

Venue: Constitution Hill, Johannesburg

Date: Open daily until 10 December

Time: 9 AM – 6 PM

Access: Free public access