The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Liezl van der Merwe, has called on Parliament to take the fight against gender violence beyond events and campaigns such as the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
Ms Van der Merwe was leading a discussion in the National Assembly on her proposed subject: the need for a renewed focus and new strategies to tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national crisis.
She raised a concern that the only time Parliament considers the issue of GBVF is during the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children. “For a moment we recognise that our women and children are under siege. We pledge our commitment to fight this. For 16 days we cry with the parents who have lost their daughters, with the children who have lost their mothers, and we cry with the friends who have lost their classmates.
“When the 16 days ends, we continue with business as usual only to return in the next 16 days campaign to say exactly the same things, lament the same failures and quote exactly the same statistics,” she said.
The committee Chairperson told the National Assembly that her party, the Inkatha Freedom Party, has a clear vision on what needs to be done to address the problem of GBV in the country. She said South Africa needs concrete action tied with real political will to beat this national crisis: invest in the police force, provide them with better training, more resources and the capacity to protect communities.
“The IFP believes we need to fund and support NGOs and NPOs and not defund them – they are on the frontline in providing vital support, on behalf of the state, to the most vulnerable. We also need to strengthen the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and get them real resources in order to drive real change, and the Commission for Gender Equality which has an important role to play yet they remain invisible and largely ineffective,” said Ms Van der Merwe.
The Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Mmapaseka Letsike, who was representing the African National Congress in the discussion, said it is unfortunate that despite several legislative and policy interventions, GBV continues unabated.
“Despite the progress we have made as a democracy, GBV continues unabated – women, children, LGBTQ, persons with disabilities and men continue to live in fear in their homes and communities and sometimes in the hands of those who are supposed to love and protect them. For far too long, GBV in South Africa was treated as a social issue and yet it is an economic issue as well,” the Deputy Minister said.
She believes there is also a need to address soft violence such as verbal abuse, financial and online (cyber) abuse, and added that most forms of violence start with soft violence.
The Deputy Minister is also hopeful that the National Strategic Plan on GBV, which provides a coordinated multi-sectoral framework, is another key intervention in the ongoing fight against the scourge of GBV. She also took time to outline the plan’s six pillars, which include (1) Accountability and coordination, (2) Prevention and building social cohesion, (3) Justice, safety and protection, (4) Response, care and support, (5) Economic empowerment for survivors, and (6) Research and information management.
“This is an ambitious plan that we can achieve if we all work together. We must appreciate that this work requires an all-of-society approach. We welcome efforts by civil society, private sector, politicians, traditional leaders, faith-based sector, institutions supporting democracy and private individuals,” she said.
Deputy Minister Letsike said there have been key reforms in legislation – Criminal Laws amendments, the Domestic Violence Act, Combating and Preventing Hate Crime – which will also help strengthen the fight against GBVF.
Ms Mariam Muhammad of uMkhonto weSizwe Party attributed the rise in GBV to a failure of governance. “This is not just a woman’s issue, this is a national failure. We have a GBV council that is underfunded, underpowered and largely invisible, the strategic plan with six pillars but not signed, we have the moral regeneration movement that is ineffective.
“The Domestic Violence Act is violated by the institutions that are supposed to enforce it – the silence of the state is not neutral, it is complicit. The government allows GBV to thrive, our police stations have no rape kits, no victim-friendly rooms. But GBV is not just a policing problem but also a culture problem. We raise boys to disrespect women, the system is broken,” argued Ms Muhammad.
Ms Thembisile Khanyile of the Democratic Alliance: “When we fail to arrest and prosecute efficiently the perpetrators of GBV we are not only denying the victims justice, but we are also in fact further victimising them. We teach the world that abuse can be overlooked and that dignity is optional. Our country is facing a war on women.”
She also warned that victims of GBV must not be denied justice because of their financial status in society. “Justice must be impartial and grounded in truth, not influenced by wealth, power or status. When financial resources start to determine the quality of legal defence, access to evidence or even the pace of a trial, the fairness of the entire system is called into question,” said Ms Khanyile.
The Economic Freedom Fighters said GBV has become a silent pandemic and blamed the state for failing to act against it. “We have other forms of violence against women that are pervasive and impact more destructive – sex for jobs, sex pests in schools and churches – and a significant number of cases are not reported because the perpetrators are providers, there is no will or capacity in this government to tackle this challenge.
“We need a community-led rapid response that will include social workers, SAPS and trusted community members,” said EFF Member of Parliament Ms Poppy Mailola.
Ms Jasmine Pietersen of the Patriotic Alliance argued that most responses to GBV are reactive and rarely address the deeper socio-economic factors. “GBV is not about one gender suffering over another, it is about power, control and harmful gender norms. We need a renewed focus not only to protect women and girls but to also include men and men in GBV framework.
“We need new strategies, the old ones are not working – this is a human rights issue which affects our economy, communities and our future. Teach young children that violence is not acceptable no matter who the victim is,” she said.
Dr Kgosi Letlape (Action SA) believes that as long as South Africa still has social norms that demean and undermine women, the battle against GBV will never be won. “We have social norms and values that undermine women, commodify and devalue them, we rely on culture to dehumanise others, justify abuse in the name of culture. Unless we deal with what happens at home we will never get to the bottom of the problem. We need to deal with toxic masculinity, protect women and treat them as equal to boys,” said Dr Letlape.
Sakhile Mokoena
12 May 2025
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