Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the persistently high levels of violence against women and children in South Africa a national disaster. In his weekly newsletter, he emphasized that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) require exceptional measures as the country observes the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign.
According to South African Government News Agency, President Ramaphosa’s newsletter highlights the gravity of the crisis and outlines the government’s intensified response after officially declaring GBVF a national disaster last month. He noted that South Africa has one of the world’s highest levels of violence against women and girls, with statistics from the HSRC’s National GBV Study (2022) indicating that more than 35% of women over 18 have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by intimate partners.
Reflecting on the long-term effects of gender-based violence, President Ramaphosa remarked that its impact is even more corrosive than COVID-19, as it destroys families, incurs economic costs, and creates instability and fear for women and girls. By classifying GBVF as a national disaster, the mandates of key departments such as Police, Justice, Social Development, Health, and Basic Education are strengthened to scale up survivor support, expand shelters, and fast-track emergency resource allocation.
President Ramaphosa also highlighted recent briefings to Parliament’s Multiparty Women’s Caucus, where steps taken to improve case management and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to GBVF were reported. These measures include the expansion of victim-friendly facilities, establishment of a GBVF Information Centre, faster evidence processing, and a new 24-hour service for obtaining protection orders.
Despite these efforts, President Ramaphosa acknowledged that implementation of the National Strategic Plan has been uneven. He emphasized the need for men to play a leading role in prevention efforts, noting that addressing the drivers of violence such as toxic masculinity and harmful cultural norms is essential. He called for a nationwide programme of dialogues with men and boys to confront these issues.
President Ramaphosa concluded by stressing that combating GBVF requires a whole-of-society response, urging all South Africans to report abuse and actively dismantle the attitudes that enable violence.