Cyril Ramaphosa vows to pull out all stops to catch Ekurhuleni killers; South Africans are sceptical

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed that the investigations into the murders of women in Ekurhuleni be prioritised by police, promising that law enforcement agencies are working urgently to establish the facts, keep communities safe, and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.

Our law enforcement agencies are working urgently to establish the facts, keep communities safe, and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.

The President’s commitment follows a series of grim discoveries in the East Rand area, where multiple bodies of women have been found over the past two months. Despite these assurances, many South Africans remain sceptical, citing persistent failures in policing and the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence in the country.

The nation is angry. The women of South Africa are angry. Their anger is justified. I share that anger.

While the government has announced new measures, including an audit of women’s safety and a crackdown on high-risk municipal areas, critics argue that such promises have been made before without resulting in significant improvements to safety or accountability.