Nine women. Nine bodies found in the Ekurhuleni area — and once again, a country is asking the same questions: Who killed them? Why were they killed? Could this have been prevented? And
perhaps the bigger question — what happens after the outrage dies down? Because this is a cycle South Africans know far too well. A woman is killed, there is public outrage, politicians make statements, police announce investigations and arrests are made — and then, weeks or months later, another woman is dead and we find ourselves having essentially the same conversation all over again. At the same time, the language coming from authorities is coming under scrutiny, particularly when women are told about the precautions they should take to keep themselves safe. So tonight, we want to have a difficult conversation with women's rights activists and organisations: Are we dealing with individual crimes, or are we looking at a deeper systemic failure in how South Africa responds to violence against women? What should the police be saying and doing differently? And at what point does repeated outrage have to translate into measurable change? We also will be getting an update from Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.