President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced urgent measures to tackle gender-based violence and femicide, following the discovery of 11 women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni since July.
Addressing the nation on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, Ramaphosa described the violence against women as a national crisis requiring immediate action. “The nation is angry. The women of South Africa are angry. Their anger is justified,” he said. The president also acknowledged government’s shortcomings in addressing GBV.
As part of the response, Ramaphosa directed the Ministers of Police and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, working with SAPS and the NPA, to undertake a national case-recovery operation focusing on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children. Within 60 days the audit must identify unresolved cases, cases awaiting forensic evidence, cases where suspects have been identified but not arrested, and cases where investigative or prosecutorial action has been unreasonably delayed. Individual recovery plans for priority and stalled cases must then be in place within 90 days, with each plan identifying the outstanding action, the responsible official and a deadline for moving the case forward.
Ramaphosa also directed the Minister of Police, the National Commissioner of Police and relevant forensic authorities to present a funded plan within 60 days to reduce forensic backlogs and establish clear turnaround standards for priority GBVF cases. Priority forensic samples in cases involving the rape or murder of women and children must be fast-tracked for urgent processing, with progress against the turnaround standards reported publicly every quarter. The President further directed every municipality to begin a women’s safety audit without delay. The audits are expected to identify high-risk areas, including broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured parks.
Within 90 days of completing the audits, the most urgent hazards must either have been addressed or included in a funded implementation plan with clear completion dates. Government is also expected to publish the results and progress made in addressing identified risks.
He also directed government to strengthen enforcement of existing liquor laws and by-laws, particularly against unlicensed outlets and establishments operating outside permitted hours. He further called for a coordinated legislative and enforcement package to address alcohol-related violence.
The president said the measures would be monitored through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide and the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, with consolidated public progress reports to be issued every quarter.
“These directives are not just a statement of good intentions,” Ramaphosa said.
The President said the response must focus not only on prosecuting perpetrators after violence occurs, but also on preventing violence before it happens.
“Not simply to mourn. Not simply to condemn. But to act,” Ramaphosa said.
