Pretoria:President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a comprehensive four-point recovery plan aimed at expediting the resolution of cases involving violence against women and children. This initiative seeks to ensure that such cases are promptly processed and that offenders are held accountable.
According to South African Government News Agency, President Ramaphosa instructed the Acting Minister of Police, Professor Firoz Cachalia, and Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi to spearhead a national case-recovery operation. This operation will concentrate on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes, and serious sexual offenses against women and children. The plan requires individual recovery strategies for priority cases and those that have experienced delays.
The President emphasized the urgency of conducting an audit within 60 days to determine the number and age of unresolved cases, those awaiting forensic evidence, and cases where suspects have been identified but not apprehended. Each recovery plan must specify the necessary actions, responsible officials, and deadlines to advance the cases.
Furthermore, the President directed a collaborative effort between Minister Cachalia, Acting National Commissioner of Police Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, and forensic authorities to present a funded plan within 60 days. This plan aims to reduce forensic backlogs and establish clear turnaround standards for priority gender-based violence and femicide cases. The President stressed that priority forensic samples in cases of rape or murder of women and children should be urgently processed, with progress publicly reported quarterly.
Additionally, President Ramaphosa called for immediate women's safety audits by every municipality to identify high-risk areas. These audits, to be conducted in collaboration with provincial governments and the police, should address issues such as broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, and unsafe transport routes within 60 days. Urgent hazards must be addressed within 90 days of the audit's completion or included in a funded implementation plan with defined completion dates.
The plan also includes a directive for Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Parks Tau, alongside Health, Social Development, Police, and Cooperative Governance ministers, to propose a coordinated legislative and enforcement package addressing alcohol-related violence within 60 days. While alcohol is not the cause of gender-based violence, it is recognized as a significant aggravating factor.
The President underscored that the safety of women is a governmental responsibility across all levels. He announced that the Inter-Ministerial Committee and the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide will monitor these initiatives and provide quarterly progress reports. The first consolidated report is expected within ninety days, emphasizing that these directives are concrete actions rather than mere statements of intent.
President Ramaphosa also highlighted the importance of preventing violence by addressing attitudes that contribute to gender-based violence. He pointed out that the issue often begins at home and must be tackled by changing how boys are raised and educated about gender, consent, and relationships. He urged society to shift the perception of gender-based violence from being solely a women's issue and called on men to actively speak out against violence.
To further this cultural change, the President has charged the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture with strengthening the Moral Regeneration Movement to help alter attitudes and social norms that enable violence against women. Acknowledging the efforts of various community, faith-based, and educational organizations, Ramaphosa commended their ongoing work in combating gender-based violence.