Gender-based violence remains one of the most urgent social crises in South Africa, and Gauteng continues to be among the most affected provinces. Research from the South African Medical Research Council shows that one in three women in the country will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. For many, this is not a remote statistic; it shapes daily decisions about how they travel, dress, speak, work, and move through public and private spaces.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This November, during the global 16 Days of Activism campaign, the Impilo Collection Foundation is creating a public intervention that cannot be ignored. The organisation has launched the EmpowerHer: 8 849 Bras for Humanity National Exhibition at Constitution Hill, using art, storytelling, and community mobilisation to challenge the normalisation of violence and restore dignity to survivors.
The exhibition runs from 26 November to 10 December 2025 and is open daily from 9:00 to 18:00.
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How a Bra Became a Symbol of Dignity
The exhibition traces its origins to a quiet request made years ago. During community outreach work, a young girl asked Angela Yeung, founder of the Impilo Collection Foundation: “Please bring me a bra next time.” The request revealed a deeper reality: in many under-resourced communities, something as basic as a bra is not guaranteed. For survivors of sexual or physical violence, that absence can compound trauma, leaving them feeling exposed and unheard.
This year, Yeung climbed Mount Everest, carrying one bra to the summit in honour of that request and the women it represents. She climbed not for personal achievement, but to draw attention to the scale and urgency of gender-based violence in South Africa.
“When I stood on the summit of Everest, I promised that every metre climbed would represent a voice for change,” Yeung says. “This exhibition is that promise fulfilled. Healing begins when we stand together.”
Everest stands 8 849 metres high. The exhibition features 8,849 bras, each one representing a life, a story, a call for recognition and dignity.
Constitution Hill: A Grounded Site of Memory and Accountability
Staging the exhibition at Constitution Hill adds a layer of historical and civic meaning. Once a prison that held activists, ordinary citizens, and political leaders, the precinct now stands as a national symbol of democratic rights and the ongoing pursuit of justice.
At the heart of the exhibition is Section 12(1)(c) of the Constitution, which states:
“Everyone has the right to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources.”
The installation invites visitors to confront a central contradiction:
If freedom from violence is a constitutional right, why is safety still out of reach for so many?
What the Public Will Encounter
The Mountain of Bras
A large-scale installation formed from thousands of donated bras, representing collective strength and dignity reclaimed.
Public Pledge Walls
Visitors are invited to write personal commitments to ending gender-based violence, turning awareness into accountability.
Panel Discussion (26 November, 10:00 – 12:00)
Thought-leaders, activists, and community members will explore how art, advocacy, and social responsibility intersect in the fight against GBV.
This exhibition does not seek to memorialise harm.
It calls for responsibility, participation, and change.
Why This Moment Matters for Gauteng
Gender-based violence in Gauteng is driven by intersecting pressures, including:
- economic dependency
- overcrowded living conditions
- limited access to support services
- persistent social stigma
- cultural silence around violence and accountability
Awareness campaigns alone have not been enough.
The EmpowerHer Exhibition shifts the conversation from acknowledgment to embodied solidarity.
It gives survivors what violence seeks to remove:
dignity, visibility, voice, and presence.
The Road Ahead: “Carriers of Courage” 2026 Provincial Tour
In 2026, the exhibition will travel to all nine provinces, culminating in large-scale distribution of bras and dignity packs to schools, shelters, crisis centres, and safe houses.
To support the national tour, the Foundation is calling for:
- corporate sponsorships
- transport and accommodation partners
- volunteer logistics and sorting teams
- community organisations and host venues
Preparing the 8,849 bras for national distribution, including washing, packaging, and labelling, will cost approximately R100,000.
Every contribution directly supports dignity in motion.
Turning Awareness Into Daily Practice
Gender-based violence is not inevitable. It is preventable.
The work begins in homes, workplaces, classrooms, and community spaces, where beliefs, values, and responses are shaped long before crisis intervention becomes necessary.
The EmpowerHer Exhibition offers Gauteng residents a practical entry point into building a safer, more accountable society.
It asks each person to examine where they stand, how they act, and what they choose to normalise.
To donate, partner, or request collaboration details, contact:
[email protected] or [email protected].
Because communities rise when they rise together. And sometimes, we rise all the way to Everest.
