On Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a comprehensive cleanup of high-risk areas nationwide, following the discovery of 12 women’s bodies east of Johannesburg within a two-month period.
The tragic deaths have sparked a national outcry regarding the alarming scale of violence against women in South Africa, which boasts one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world.
Ramaphosa introduced a multidisciplinary, national-level emergency response to the murders, which has resulted in four arrests to date.
He emphasized that gender-based violence “cannot be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa” and conceded that the nation “has not done enough” to protect women and girls.
“There has understandably been widespread fear that the discovery of these women in close proximity could indicate the work of a single perpetrator,” Ramaphosa stated in a national address.
“At present, the police have not found evidence establishing that these killings were committed by a single perpetrator.”
Acknowledging the government’s past shortcomings in preventing gender-based violence, he unveiled a new set of measures to enhance the safety of women and girls.
“Every municipality must initiate a women’s safety audit without delay,” he declared. “High-risk areas must be identified” and addressed promptly.
“These audits are crucial to identify issues such as broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and facilities, poorly secured parks, and other conditions that heighten risks for women.”
Additionally, Ramaphosa announced an “enforcement package” aimed at reducing alcohol-related violence.
“While alcohol does not cause gender-based violence and can never excuse it, responsibility lies solely with the perpetrator,” he noted.
“However, harmful alcohol use is a significant aggravating factor in interpersonal violence and must be addressed as part of our broader prevention strategy.”
The South African president also highlighted the need for deeper societal change beyond policing and legislation to combat violence against women and girls, stating that it “does not begin when a fist is raised” or during acts of rape or murder.
“It begins much earlier,” he explained. “It starts with attitudes that regard women as inferior… with the belief that a man has the right to control a woman.”
“It begins when jealousy is mistaken for love, when control is mistaken for protection, and coercion is mistaken for affection.”
“It begins when a man refuses to accept the word no.”
He urged men and boys to take a leading role in ending gender-based violence.
“We have placed the burden of male violence on women,” Ramaphosa said. “That must change.”
“The solution to violence against women cannot be to restrict women’s freedom.”
South Africa grapples with one of the highest homicide rates, with 5,427 murders recorded between April and June this year alone.
Although police statistics do not differentiate victims by gender, the South African Human Rights Commission recently reported that 569 women were killed and 1,052 others survived attempted murder during the same period.
