President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed at the G20 Social Summit held on Thursday, 20 November in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, that the government of South Africa will classify GBVF as a National Disaster, to acknowledge the crisis that women and children face every day.
In an internal follow-up meeting today, led by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, the minister responsible for declaring national disasters, it was confirmed that an official agreement has been reached among multiple key departments and the Presidency.
The Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr Bongani Elias Sithole has classified Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002).
In 2024, research done by the South African Medical Research Council indicated that over the past 20 years, South Africa recorded an estimated 10 972 femicide cases. Three women are killed every day by an intimate partner. One in four women reports experiencing physical or sexual abuse.
While welcoming the declaration of GBVF as a national disaster, Hlabisa indicated that the declaration follows a thorough reassessment of previous reports and updated submissions from organs of state as well as civil organisations.
“This effort pulls together every sphere of government and every critical sector: policing, social development, justice, health, education, economic development, and traditional leadership. Above all, it confirms a fundamental truth: GBVF is not a women’s issue. It is a national crisis”, Hlabisa said.
“After evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, the NDMC has concluded that GBVF now meets the threshold of a potential disaster as defined in the Act. In accordance with Sections 23 and 26 of the Act, the National Executive now carries primary responsibility for coordinating and managing this national disaster, using existing legislation and the contingency arrangements already established across government.
“The Classification calls on all organs of state to strengthen their support to existing GBVF response structures, to fully implement their contingency arrangements, and to ensure that all necessary mechanisms are activated to enable the National Executive to manage the disaster effectively,” said GOGTA in a statement.
The department has also advised national, provincial, and municipal authorities to implement multisectoral prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation plans to address the effects of this disaster holistically.
Importantly, this classification does not invoke emergency powers. Instead, it reinforces and strengthens the systems already in place, binding together key initiatives such as:
• The Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBVF,
• Intergovernmental committee on disaster management (ICDM), – Technical and Political,
• The NATJOINTS Priority Committee,
• The 90-Day GBVF Acceleration Programme,
• The expansion of Thuthuzela Care Centres,
• The strengthening of Sexual Offences Courts, and
The reform of the criminal justice system. The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango, has welcomed Ramaphosa’s declaration of GBVF as a national crisis.
“The President’s recognition of GBVF as a national crisis must be a catalyst for real action. We need full and urgent implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, along with tougher policies that deter perpetrators and ensure harsh consequences for those who continue to harm vulnerable citizens,” said Masango.
The committee believes that the President’s declaration is an urgent reminder that the country must take bolder and more decisive steps. “The committee has long called on law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders to fast-track the National Integrated Strategy on the Prevention of Femicide. This strategy aims to strengthen legislation, introduce femicide-specific policies, and create clear guidelines for preventing and responding to femicide.”
