Sabrina Walter Who Founded Women For Change Named One of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People!

Photo Credit: TIME

Sabrina Walter, founder of SA’s Women For Change, has been recognised in TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2026!

South Africa (16 April 2026) – It’s well-deserved recognition for one of our own, who has been fighting and advocating against gender-based violence and femicide for a decade this year.

It all started in March 2016, after Franziska Blöchliger, a 16-year-old girl, was found murdered in the fynbos of Lower Tokai.

“Ten years ago, I received a call. ‘Sabrina, there’s this girl missing. She went for a run on the same route we usually take. They’re looking for her.’ My heart dropped. Minutes later my phone rang again. Franziska had been found. Dead. Possibly raped. A moment that would change the direction of my life forever.” shares Walter.

A memorial gathering for Franziska is what sparked it all, 4000 people gathered to walk the same route she had taken. Ten years on, Women For Change’s fight against a crisis that plagues South Africa grew so loud, it made history.

After a decade of sharing over 1500 victim’s stories, protesting, and standing alongside survivors, Sabrina’s movement, carried by 1.1 million people who refused to be silenced, made a meaningful change in South Africa. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide was officially declared a National Disaster.

TIME Magazine now celebrates Walters for leading the charge in that impactful moment by recognising her as one of only 100 people in the world whose impact, courage, and work are making a real difference.

“Being named to the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2026 is something I never imagined, and it’s hard to fully hold what this moment means.” shares Sabrina. “But this is not just about me. This is for every woman and child in South Africa, every survivor who has carried their pain in silence, every family still fighting for justice, and every ally who continues to stand with us.”

Women For Change was built on real stories that carry real pain, pushing not only to create awareness but stand alongside survivors, support them, and create, as its name suggests, actual change. Change that still needs to happen.

But the whole world is listening now. The voices of every fighter and survivor will no longer be silenced or ignored. That is powerful.

“For too long, gender-based violence and femicide have been treated as background noise in this country, normalised, overlooked, and under-prioritised. This recognition is a proof that the world is paying attention. That our stories, our pain, and our fight for justice can no longer be ignored.” shares Sabrina. “There were moments when this work felt unbearable and too heavy to carry. But this moment is proof that change is possible because the women of South Africa refuse to give up.”

TIME recognises Walters for her success in turning collective grief into action that matters.

“Sabrina Walter turned collective grief into undeniable power and forced a nation to act, proving that when women lead, they do not just demand change, they make it inevitable.” it shared.