The series, focused on interviewing recent gender-based violence (GBV) survivors and key role players in the GBV space, will run for the full duration of '16 Days', with daily stories airing just before the 11:00 News at 10:45, and weekend programming — Top 40 on 5 with Harrison Mkhize and 5 Takeover with Jodell Tantij — joining the fight and momentum in the same time slots, says the radio station.
The team has kicked off with the first two voices, Nomonde Sky (Audio) and Melissa Shawe (Audio). In a country where women and girls face some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world, the campaign centres and amplifies the brutal truth, pain end pleas of actual, lived experiences, adds the radio station.
These are authentic, unfiltered testimonies shared by women across provinces, backgrounds and age groups. Each voice belongs to someone who has found the courage to say, "This happened to me", and each story carries the power to bring the unfiltered reality home and elicit practical change, says the radio station.
For 16 days, 5FM chooses to listen. Violence thrives in silence, and '16 Days, 16 Voices' stands firmly against that silence. The campaign brings raw and brave accounts into the national consciousness, reminding South Africa that GBV is not a distant phenomenon. It unfolds in homes, workplaces, schools and communities across the country. These stories are not abstract. They are the daily experiences of South African women and girls whose lives are shaped by fear, survival and resilience, adds the radio station.
The campaign launches in the wake of the recent fifteen-minute nationwide shutdown where thousands lay down in public spaces in symbolic recognition of the women lost to femicide. The demonstration was a stark reminder that GBV has reached crisis levels in South Africa and that meaningful, continued and unapologetic action is long overdue, says the radio station.
Masi Mdingane, Business Manager at 5FM and Good Hope FM, underscores this reality with urgency. "South Africa's femicide rate is close to six times the global average. Every three hours a woman is murdered in this country, often by someone she knows. These are not statistics; but lives and immense potential cut short and families shattered."
"The fifteen-minute shutdown showed us that the country is tired. Tired of mourning, tired of fear, tired of speeches and slogans without action. '16 Days, 16 Voices' is our commitment to doing something practical. We are giving women back their voices, refusing silence and using our national platform to drive real awareness and accountability. Change begins when we listen and then, most importantly, act," adds Mdingane.
These stories honour the women who stepped forward, and they echo the experiences of many others who cannot speak, but need to be heard. By sharing these voices, 5FM aims to 'ampli5' awareness, inspire empathy and call the country toward practical and lasting change, says the radio station.
All '16 Days, 16 Voices' stories will be available for catch up on the 5FM app and social platforms. Support resources, helplines and links to organisations offering assistance can be found on the 5FM website and app.
For more information, visit www.5fm.co.za. You can also follow 5FM on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.
*Image courtesy of contributor