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

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced new measures Tuesday to combat gender-based violence following the killing of at least 11 women in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since July.

The measures include an audit of women’s safety to be completed within 60 days, requiring local authorities across the country to identify dangerous and high-risk areas, including places with broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and poorly secured parks.

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

While police have not confirmed that the recent killings are linked, they have sparked fear and anger over the persistent levels of gender-based violence in the country.

President Ramaphosa admitted the government has failed to protect women and announced emergency measures including safety audits and forensic backlog reductions. He referenced his 2019 address on gender-based violence and said women should not live in fear due to state failures in policing, evidence processing and protection orders.