A black day for gender-based violence: reflections from the cricket match

INCLUSIVE EXERCISE

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PROTEAS Women captain Laura Wolvaardt and her Pakistan counterpart, Fatima Sana, before the 'Black ODI' at Kingsmead on Sunday.

(Cricket SA)

I WAS invited by the HOPE Foundation on Sunday to attend the Women’s final cricket match between India and Pakistan. The theme for the day was Black Day +GBV.

Cricket SA (CSA) was the sponsor of the event. The main aim of the day was to raise awareness around gender-based violence (GBV) which is now recognised as a pandemic in South Africa.

Following the murder of two very young girls by their dad, and the outpouring of grief by so many, | felt it was important to be part of the event to mark the day.

Everyone was asked to wear black to show their support. Let me tell you wearing black on a blazing hot summer day in Durban is hardly comfortable.

But anyway, I had made up my mind that I was all in and stuck to the theme. Within half an hour of sitting on the grounds, I was already regretting my decision to be politically correct.

Being the very diverse cosmopolitan people that we are, people pitched up in all shades of the rainbow.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

The Old Fort Road entrance was closed for the day. Everyone had to go in from the back entrance on the Kingsmead side.