President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a four-point government plan with 30-, 60- and 90-day deadlines aimed at strengthening South Africa’s response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), including a national review of unresolved cases and safety audits across municipalities.
The announcement came during his address to the nation on Tuesday evening, 29 September, following a series of killings of women in and around Ekurhuleni.
The Presidency had confirmed ahead of the address that Ramaphosa would provide an update on the government’s response to GBVF and the investigations into the killings.
President @CyrilRamaphosa addresses the nation on government’s response to gender-based violence and femicide, including the measures being taken to confront the crisis and provides an update on investigations into the murders of women in and around the City of Ekurhuleni.
In… pic.twitter.com/flBbQaBj3d
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 29, 2026
The address followed an earlier report on Ramaphosa’s planned national address this evening, after he said during National Heritage Day celebrations in Oudtshoorn that he would brief South Africans on the government’s response to GBV and the Ekurhuleni investigations.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that previous government measures had not been sufficient and said additional action was required.
‘What we have done is not enough. We need to do much more,’ he said, adding that government and society needed to improve their response.
He also described violence against women as ‘a source of profound pain and national shame’.
The president said the government would provide additional resources to the response, with the Minister of Finance expected to make further funding announcements through the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.
One of the four measures directs the Ministers of Police and Justice to undertake a national case recovery process covering unresolved cases of murder, rape and assault involving women and children.
Within 30 days, the government is expected to establish the number of unresolved cases. Within 90 days, an action plan must be developed to move those cases forward.
Ramaphosa also directed the South African Police Service (SAPS) and relevant authorities to address forensic backlogs linked to GBV and cases involving children, with the required intervention to be outlined within 60 days.
The measures come as investigations continue into the deaths of women in Ekurhuleni. Ramaphosa said arrests had already been made and that additional people of interest had been identified.
‘These cases will not be allowed to go cold,’ he said, while appealing to anyone with information to assist investigators.
Every municipality has been directed to conduct a women’s safety audit aimed at identifying areas where infrastructure and public spaces may present risks.
The audits must identify issues including broken streetlights, overgrown public areas, unsafe transport routes, parks and other facilities within 60 days.
Municipalities will then have 90 days from completion of the audit to address the most urgent hazards or put dated plans in place for dealing with them.
Alcohol also features prominently in the president’s four-point plan.
Ramaphosa directed that liquor outlets operating in breach of their licences should face action, as the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, together with other government departments, must also develop measures aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related violence.
The president said alcohol was a significant factor in the violence being experienced in communities.
The issue builds on existing government policy discussions around alcohol regulation. In his 2026 State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa said alcohol abuse contributes to violence, road accidents and crime and called for stronger regulation of liquor outlets, including measures concerning trading hours and outlet density.
‘We cannot police our way out’
While announcing stronger policing measures, Ramaphosa cautioned that law enforcement alone would not resolve GBV.
‘However, we cannot police our way out of gender-based violence,’ he said, describing the issue as requiring an all-of-society response.
The president said government had already been working to strengthen national systems since GBVF was classified as a national disaster, but acknowledged that further intervention was required.
BusinessTech reported that the plan will be monitored through a consolidated report, with the first report due within 90 days and subsequent updates expected quarterly.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cabinet also addressed the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet had condemned the reported killings and confirmed that four suspects had been arrested in connection with three of the cases. She said the suspects remained in custody after being denied bail.
Cabinet also backed the directive for the SAPS Multi-Disciplinary Investigation Team to accelerate the investigations, with several people of interest being pursued.
The government’s response now includes a combination of policing, case recovery, forensic capacity, municipal infrastructure and alcohol-related measures, each tied to specific deadlines.
The immediate focus will be on the first deadlines in the plan, including identifying unresolved GBV-related cases within 30 days and beginning municipal safety audits and forensic interventions within the following weeks.
The government is also expected to report on progress through a consolidated monitoring process, with the first report due within 90 days and quarterly reports thereafter.
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Picture: The Presidency/X
