President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a four-point plan to address gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa following the discovery of 11 women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. The directive comes after repeated government pledges failed to curb the crisis.
The plan includes immediate action to improve police response to gender-based violence, increased funding for forensic services, better data collection on violence against women, and a national campaign to encourage men to speak out against abuse. Ramaphosa acknowledged that the government had not done enough to protect women, and the latest killings have left South Africans angry and grieving.
The crisis has intensified after the bodies of 12 women were found in just two months in the same area. This has reignited public anger and fear, prompting calls for urgent action. The president has also ordered an audit of unsafe streets that place women at risk.
The situation highlights systemic failures in addressing gender-based violence, with forensic backlogs and procurement issues hampering progress. Ramaphosa has emphasized the need for a coordinated national response, including better support for victims and stronger legal protections.
The government’s response follows a national outcry over the scale of violence against women in a country with one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. The new measures aim to address both the immediate crisis and long-term structural challenges.
