The Unburied Casket

Women for Change were about to hand a memorandum to government — a formal demand to declare femicide and GBV a national disaster in South Africa. The risk was simple: it becomes another piece of paper. Received, acknowledged, filed, forgotten. We needed to make it impossible to ignore.

The one thing no one can ignore is a funeral. So we built one. A casket constructed 33.8% larger than standard — the exact rise in femicide in a single year. Every surface covered in hand-crafted Zulu beadwork, each purple bead representing one of the 5,578 women murdered between 2023 and 2024. Inside: 150,000 petition signatures and the memorandum addressed to government.

Some of the most meaningful time on this project was spent at the factory where the casket was made — working alongside Thembi and the team as they placed thousands of beads by hand. Sabelo and I worked on applying the beaded belts to the casket, putting in the craft that helped turn it into what it became. Watching that level of care go into something built to carry so much weight stayed with me.

On 11 April 2025, it was carried through the streets of Pretoria in a hearse and placed at the foothills of the Union Buildings. The women who made it — who placed every bead by hand — walked alongside it. They delivered the memorandum themselves. The government representative signed it that day.

Since then, the casket has moved around the country, femicide and GBV have been declared a national disaster in South Africa, and the work has gone on to be recognised and awarded globally.