Bright Ntuli
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the violence inflicted upon the women of South Africa is a source of profound pain and national shame.
He addressed the nation on Tuesday night, outlining what the government is going to do to confront gender-based violence and femicide in the country.
This follows the discovery of the bodies of eleven women in and around Ekurhuleni in Gauteng in the last two months.
Ramaphosa announced a four-point plan, which includes a safety audit in municipalities and a clampdown on liquor outlets.
The President further announced a joint case recovery operation between the South African Police service and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
“I have directed the Minister of Police and the minister of Justice and Constitutional development to undertake a national case recovery operation focused on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children,” he said.
Click below to listen to Ramaphosa’s audio
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country must confront the uncomfortable, devastating truth that the primary gender-based violence hotspot is in the home and in interpersonal relationships.
A national study by the South African Medical Research Council found that an intimate partner killed more than 60-percent of women murdered in 2021 and 2022.
Ramaphosa stated that the responsibility for violence always belongs to the person who commits it, never to the victim.
“We must confront an uncomfortable truth, what we have done has not been enough. We need to do much more. It has not been enough to prevent women from being killed, it has not been enough to make women safe,” said the President.
Click below to listen to Ramaphosa’s audio
