President Ramaphosa recently delivered a major televised national address to tackle the country’s Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) crisis. Triggered by the tragic discovery of 11 women’s bodies in the Ekurhuleni region since July, the President unveiled an urgent four-point national recovery plan.
- National Case Recovery: Directing police and justice ministries to audit and uncover unresolved cases of murder, rape, and assault against women and children within 30 days.
- Forensic Backlog: Mandating a definitive action plan within 60 days to clear backlogs in GBV-related forensics.
- Safety Audits: Ordering all municipalities to run a 60-day safety audit to identify and fix high-risk infrastructure like broken streetlights and overgrown public spaces.
- Liquor Regulations: Cracking down on liquor outlets violating their licences to curb alcohol-fueled interpersonal violence.