Ramaphosa Declares GBVF a National Disaster, Urges Urgent, United Action

Despite these advances, Ramaphosa admitted that progress on the NSP has been “uneven”, with resource bottlenecks and delays in provincial rollout slowing momentum.

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has used his weekly newsletter to deliver one of his strongest warnings yet about South Africa’s ongoing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) emergency, saying the scale and persistence of the crisis now demands “exceptional measures” and a united national response.

His message comes as the country observes the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children (25 November–10 December)—a period meant to galvanise government, communities and civil society around intensified anti-GBV efforts. This year’s campaign follows the government’s formal decision in November to classify GBVF as a national disaster, a move the President says was necessary to fast-track resources, improve coordination and ensure accountability.

A Crisis of Global Proportions

Calling South Africa’s GBVF rates “a shameful distinction”, President Ramaphosa referenced findings from the HSRC’s National GBV Study (2022), which revealed that more than 35% of women over 18 have experienced physical or sexual violence, most often inflicted by intimate partners. The report, he said, sets the baseline for long-term interventions under the National Strategic Plan on GBVF (NSP), adopted after the 2018 Presidential Summit.

Ramaphosa drew a stark comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while the virus caused widespread disruption, the long-term emotional, social and economic effects of GBVF are “arguably even more corrosive”.

“Gender-based violence destroys families, weakens communities, fuels trauma across generations and imposes a staggering economic cost,” he wrote.

Disaster Classification Triggers Expanded Powers

By declaring GBVF a national disaster, government departments—including Police, Justice, Social Development, Health and Basic Education—now carry strengthened mandates to:

• Expand shelters, safe houses and survivor support services

• Improve police response times and investigative capacity

• Ensure faster access to protection orders

• Accelerate funding flows for community-level interventions

• Increase reporting to the National Disaster Management Centre, ensuring tighter oversight and implementation

Recent Parliamentary briefings to the Multiparty Women’s Caucus highlighted several improvements already underway:

• More victim-friendly rooms and specialised GBV desks at police stations

• Establishment of a GBVF Information Centre at SAPS Academy Pretoria

• Faster forensic evidence processing and improved SAPS–NPA coordination

• A new 24-hour protection order service

• Progress on enforcing 2022 anti-GBV laws, including strengthened sex offenders’ registers and additional specialised courts

Despite these advances, Ramaphosa admitted that progress on the NSP has been “uneven”, with resource bottlenecks and delays in provincial rollout slowing momentum. The disaster classification, he said, should help unblock these constraints.

Men Must Drive the Change

Reiterating a message he delivered last week at the Men’s Indaba in the Free State, the President stressed that prevention efforts will fail unless men are directly engaged.

“Unless we directly engage men, we will continue to have marches, hold protests and conduct social media campaigns—but the statistics will not change,” he warned.

He called for a nationwide, long-term programme of dialogues with men and boys to confront harmful masculinity, cultural norms, peer pressure and entrenched socialisation patterns that fuel violence.

A Whole-of-Society Mobilisation

Ramaphosa emphasised that government alone cannot defeat GBVF. A national disaster, he argued, requires national responsibility across communities, civil society organisations, faith groups, labour, business and individual citizens.

He urged South Africans to report abuse rather than “look away”, dismantle harmful attitudes, and help build a society where women and children are safe.

“The safety and security of women and children is everybody’s business. Let us work together to realise a society free from gender-based violence and femicide.”