Cyril Ramaphosa unveils 4-point plan to tackle gender-based violence

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a new four-point plan to combat the rising scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in South Africa, following a recent wave of killings that saw the bodies of 11 women discovered in Ekurhuleni since July.

The President presented this multi-disciplinary strategy during a national address on Tuesday, emphasizing that the government is committed to allocating more resources to the fight against GBV in the upcoming mid-term budget.

We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis alone. And we cannot wait until a woman is murdered before the State intervenes. Our task must be to prevent the violence before it happens.

The strategy focuses on four key areas: strengthening the criminal justice system, improving the country’s forensic services, enhancing the role of municipalities in creating safe environments, and fostering community-led prevention efforts. Ramaphosa specifically instructed government departments to present a funded implementation plan aimed at reducing forensic backlogs and strengthening the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units.

In his address, the President also issued a direct appeal to the men of South Africa to take responsibility and actively participate in ending the violence, stating that women should not have to fight this battle alone.