Ramaphosa Launches Emergency Plan to Combat Gender-Based Violence

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a four-point emergency battle plan to combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) during a national address on September 29, 2026. The announcement follows the discovery of at least 12 women's bodies in Ekurhuleni since July. Admitting that previous government efforts were insufficient, Ramaphosa stated that the state had failed to protect women and challenged South African men and boys to confront abusive behavior among their peers.

The government's plan mandates a national case-recovery operation to audit unresolved murders and sexual offenses within 60 days, with individual recovery plans for priority cases due within 90 days. Ramaphosa also ordered a funded plan to reduce forensic backlogs and required all municipalities to conduct women's safety audits within 90 days to fix environmental hazards like broken streetlights and unsafe transport routes. Additionally, the government will develop a legislative package to curb alcohol-related violence and strengthen liquor law enforcement.

While the South African Police Service has elevated a multidisciplinary task team to the national level to investigate the Ekurhuleni killings, officials stated there is currently no evidence of a single serial killer despite several arrests. Amnesty International South Africa criticized the measures as arriving seven years too late, with Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed calling for femicide to be codified as a specific crime.