South Africa’s escalating Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) crisis has intensified nationwide calls for the government to declare GBVF a National Disaster. Civil society organisations warn that the country has entered a dangerous period marked by rising murders, widespread sexual violence, and a justice system struggling to protect survivors.
This month alone, Mpumalanga has witnessed a series of deeply disturbing cases: a seven-year-old girl found murdered in Delmas, a 26-year-old Carolina woman whose body was discovered after she went missing, and the arrest of two suspects in Nelspruit for the murder of a 19-year-old woman. These incidents form part of a grim national pattern that advocates say reflects a worsening emergency.
According to the latest SAPS crime statistics for April 2023 to March 2024, 5,578 women and 1,656 children were murdered in South Africa. Femicide increased by 33.8% compared to the previous year. In the same period, 42,569 rape cases were reported — though experts estimate that up to 95% of rape incidents go unreported, pointing to a crisis far larger than what official statistics capture.
Urgent Measures Proposed
Civil society organisations, including Women For Change, are calling for immediate intervention through a national disaster declaration. Their proposals include:
- Strengthening the justice system with stricter bail opposition in cases involving rape, domestic violence, child abuse, attempted murder, and femicide.
- Harsher sentencing, including life imprisonment without parole for those convicted of gang rape, femicide, or crimes involving child victims.
- Accountability measures ensuring swift disciplinary action against police officers, prosecutors, and social workers who mishandle GBVF cases.
- Full funding and implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and the National Council on GBVF Act.
- Public access to the National Sex Offenders Register and expanded education on gender equality and consent in schools.
Advocates argue that these proposals are essential to reversing the current trajectory and restoring trust in the state’s ability to protect women and children.
Civil society groups warn that the rising murder and rape statistics signal a worsening national emergency. They argue that without decisive political will, increased budgets, and system-wide accountability, South Africa’s already severe GBVF rates will continue to climb.
As pressure mounts, the key question remains: Will government escalate GBVF to the status of a national disaster — and will such a declaration finally bring the urgency survivors have long been calling for?
A nationwide silent protest will take place on Friday, 21 November 2025. Organisers confirmed that women across the country will lie down in silence for 15 minutes at 12 PM to honour the women who never made it home.
The gesture aims to highlight the average of 15 women murdered daily in South Africa, according to SAPS annual reports.
The event is open to anyone who wishes to participate — whether at work, home, on campus, in public spaces, or any environment considered safe.
Organisers have urged South Africans to create respectful and inclusive spaces as the country prepares for Friday’s shutdown.