Ramaphosa Unveils Emergency Safety Audit and Case Review Amid Ekurhuleni Femicide Crisis

JOHANNESBURG — President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a slate of urgent interventions Tuesday to confront gender-based violence, responding to the murders of at least 11 women in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since July.

The directives include a nationwide audit of women’s safety to be completed within 60 days, compelling local authorities to pinpoint hazardous zones such as areas with failed street lighting, derelict buildings, and insecure parks. Ramaphosa also instructed the police and the National Prosecuting Authority to re-examine unresolved cases of murder, attempted murder, rape, and other gender-based violence offenses within 90 days.

The discovery of the eleventh victim’s body on Sunday intensified fear across the region, where residents remain on high alert as investigators probe whether a serial offender or multiple perpetrators are responsible. Authorities have arrested four suspects and, in several cases, identified persons of interest while collecting forensic evidence including DNA, blood samples, clothing, mobile devices, and call records.

Although police have not formally linked the recent killings, they have reignited public outrage over South Africa’s entrenched femicide crisis and violent crime epidemic. “This cannot be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa,” Ramaphosa said in a televised national address. “We must confront an uncomfortable truth. What we have done has not been enough.”

The president pledged that the safety audits would be followed by funded implementation plans targeting the identified hotspots and investigative backlogs. Official crime statistics show 5,427 homicides recorded between April and July alone, while UN Women ranks South Africa’s femicide rate among the highest globally.

Ramaphosa called on men to spearhead the fight against gender-based violence, emphasizing that most victims know their attackers. A 2022 study by a South African think tank found that over 35% of adult women in the country have experienced physical or sexual violence.

“Women change their routes home, avoid going out at night and warn one another about dangerous places and dangerous men. We have placed the burden of male violence on women,” Ramaphosa said.

A high-level investigative team has been assigned to the Ekurhuleni killings.

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