South Africa: Immediate measures on GBVF come seven years too late

In response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on the national response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said:

“We note the President’s announcement of four ‘immediate’ measures to tackle gender-based violence and femicide, however, it comes seven years too late. These are not new issues and as a country we have been talking about ways to tackle the high numbers of GBVF, especially since 2019 when women took to the streets to protest, and yet here we are again in the face of continued attacks against women.

Amnesty International South Africa also notes the timelines put in place by the President, but this will only mean something if it results in action, and if there are consequences for inaction. The audits ordered by the President must be made public. Municipalities cannot be allowed to ignore their obligations to make public spaces safer for women, and there must be consequences where they fail to do so. President Ramaphosa also spoke about a funded plan to deal with GBV and femicide cases but at this stage femicide is not a crime in South Africa. We call on the President to codify femicide as a crime. You can’t fix what you don’t track.

While the fight against GBVF requires action from every sector of society, the government is  responsible for ensuring that laws and policies serve as effective deterrents. South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of legal frameworks, it suffers from a failure to consistently enforce them. What is missing is accountability and real consequences for those who fail to uphold them. We will be watching and monitoring progress on the commitments made by the President.”