South Africa Steps Up GBV Fight After 11th Woman Found Dead
(Bloomberg) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa committed more resources to deal with gender-based violence and femicide, days after police found the body of an 11th woman east of Johannesburg.
“The killings of women in Ekurhuleni are receiving attention at the highest level of government and law,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address on Tuesday. A specialized multidisciplinary investigation has been elevated to the national level and some arrests have already been made in connection with some of the murders, he said.
The bodies of the 11 women have been discovered in several parts of Ekurhuleni since July, with some victims found naked or partially clothed and showing signs of sexual assault. The police have cautioned against linking the cases prematurely.
The deaths have heightened concerns about violence against women in a country with one of the world’s highest female-homicide rates. A total of 569 women were murdered in South Africa between April and June this year, according to police crime statistics — equivalent to more than six women a day — according to the South African Human Rights Commission.
The president acknowledged that more needs to be done as previews efforts have “not been enough to prevent women from being killed.”
In November, Ramaphosa declared femicide a national disaster. In 2020, his administration introduced the National Strategic Plan on GBV and Femicide to try to break the cycle by strengthening the state response through specialist police units, courts and prosecutors, and allocating 21 billion rand ($1.3 billion) over five years to the effort.
“We are determined that attention and resources be directed at all parts of the country where women are under siege from gender-based violence,” Ramaphosa said.
The latest measures include the finance minister allocating more funding to deal with GBV and femicide in his Oct. 21 medium-term budget, a 60-day review of unresolved cases involving women and children, a plan to reduce forensic backlogs, local government safety audits to identify and address high-risk areas, and tougher enforcement of liquor laws and bylaws.
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