The President has acknowledged what many women’s rights organisations and activists have been saying for years: the response to gender-based violence and femicide has not been enough. Following the discovery of 11 women’s bodies in and around Ekurhuleni since July, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced four immediate interventions — a national audit and recovery operation for stalled cases, a plan to tackle forensic backlogs, safety audits in every municipality, and stronger action around alcohol-related violence. But the question tonight is not simply what did the President
announce? It is whether these measures address the failures that have allowed women to remain unsafe in the first place. The President has put government on deadlines — with measures
requiring action within 60 and 90 days — but South Africans have heard commitments to fight GBV before. So what should we be looking for this time? Are these interventions targeting the right
problems, and where are the gaps? We speak to analysts and women's rights organisations to unpack what was announced, what is missing, and what accountability should look like.