South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday announced new measures to tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the country.
The presidential address followed widespread national outrage after the discovery of 11 women’s bodies across Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since July.
In a live televised address, Ramaphosa described the violence against women in the country as “a source of profound pain and national shame”.
A specialised multidisciplinary task team comprising detectives, Crime Intelligence officers, forensic experts, investigative psychologists and digital investigators has been elevated to national level and deployed to investigate femicide cases, Ramaphosa said.
He added that some suspects had already been arrested.
The president said the government had also allocated resources to strengthen the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, while the Minister of Finance would provide additional resources and Sexual Offences Courts would be expanded.
“Processing of DNA and forensic evidence is being overhauled, while police stations nationwide are establishing dedicated gender-based violence desks and victim-friendly services,” he said.
Ramaphosa also ordered the Ministers of Police and Justice to conduct a 60-day national audit of unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children.
He said the audit would identify the number and age of unresolved cases, cases awaiting forensic evidence, cases in which suspects had been identified but not arrested, and cases in which investigative or prosecutorial action had been unreasonably delayed.
Police and forensic authorities were also given 60 days to implement a funded plan to clear forensic backlogs and establish turnaround standards for priority GBVF cases.
Ramaphosa vowed to “keep acting until every woman and every girl in South Africa can live in freedom, dignity and safety”.
