Massiv Metro took to the streets on Friday, 4 October, and took a stand against the continued Femicide that has been plaguing the country over the past few months through #MassivGoesRed.
Men of Massiv Metro wore red and symbolically said ‘NO!’ and #NotOnMyWatch to women being hurt and killed at the hands of other men.
Women of Massiv Metro wore all black as a symbol of mourning for the women who have already been killed in the country such as Uyinene Mrwetyana, Janika Mallo, Leighandre Jegels and Jesse Hess to name a few.
Massiv Metro’s men and women including renowned soccer star Portia Modise, Hip Hop show broadcaster The Pristine Queen Azizzar, your favourite East African Queen, Shéila Ndikumana, DJ and Radio Host, DJ Fingers and DJ Sbu took to the streets of Rosebank with placards and shared their message.
Special effects makeup, courtesy of the Makeup Maverick, were put on the women of Massiv to make them look as though they had been beaten up as a way of visually grabbing the attention of people passing by in the Rosebank Streets of Johannesburg where the activation was taking place.
“Zakia, from the makeup Maverick, did such a stellar job – so many people asked me if I was okay when they encountered me all day. While I washed my makeup and fake scars and bruises off at the end of the day, there are so many women whose reality this is; and whose scars, bruises and pain cannot be washed off – we did this for them, in the hopes that we can really drive the message home to these men who are putting their hands on women,” said Azizzar Mosupi.
#GBVMustFall, #NotOnMyWatch and #AmINext were some of the slogans visible to cars driving by on Jellicoe Street in Rosebank where the movement was predominantly taking place.
DJ Sbu Live, presented by DJ Sbu, broadcast live from the Rosebank Taxi Rank as a way of getting the message out to the masses and bringing more awareness.
Diski Queen and co-host of Massiv XI, Itumeleng Banda was also a part of the campaign which she explained was important so that we can stand in the gap for those who may not be strong enough to stand up for themselves.
“I live in a township where girls get beaten every single day; girls get killed every single day and when you ask someone to speak out when it’s still in the early phases, they don’t want to do it. So, I’m taking a stand and I’m going to be a voice for the voiceless,” she explained.
The Show Without A Name Host, Sonia The Future, said that we need to actively come together with the men in our society and say “enough is enough”.
“It’s so sad that in a country that is deemed a democratic country, we still face such as women. I’m not safe walking down the street just because I am a woman – it has to stop; you cannot do this to our sisters and our mothers and our aunts,” she added.
While the general noise around the ongoing issue has quietened, we know that there is a woman everyday who continues to live in fear and as Massiv Metro, we wanted to remind them that WE haven’t forgotten and we will continue to stand in solidarity with them.
