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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Ms Bridget Masango, has called for consistent accountability across government and all the relevant stakeholders, as the country marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.
 
As South Africa commemorates these 16 Days of Activism from 25 November to 10 December, the committee stands with survivors and families whose lives have been forever changed by gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
 
This year’s commemoration carries special weight because the National Disaster Management Centre’s long-awaited declaration of GBVF as a national disaster is an acknowledgement that the abuse and killing of women and children is not only a social crisis, but also a national emergency demanding urgent action across all levels of government and society.
 
This declaration follows the powerful and courageous voices of civil-society activists across the country. During the G20 Summit, movements such as Women for Change led nationwide protests and lie-down demonstrations, demanding that the government recognises the scale of this violence and responds to it with the seriousness it deserves. 
 
Statistics South Africa’s most recent Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS 2023/24) shows that:

• 295 000 individuals experienced assault in the last year and 23% of these assaults happened inside the home. Sexual offences remain persistently high, with thousands of women and children victimised every year. 
• Only 1.9% of assault survivors received counselling, showing how deeply under-resourced and overstretched our psychosocial support systems remain.
• 80% of women feel unsafe walking alone at night, and many report taking drastic measures to protect themselves, including limiting their movement.

Alongside this, South Africa continues to rank among the countries with the highest femicide rates in the world, as recognised in the National Strategic Plan on GBVF. Femicide in our country is five times higher than the global average, and intimate partner killings remain a daily reality.
 
A coordinated national response is now a legal obligation. The National Strategic Plan on GBVF (2020–2030) gives us the blueprint for change. It calls for strong leadership, prevention, justice reform, survivor-centred care, economic empowerment of women and improved data systems. Today, with GBVF declared a national disaster, this plan must move from paper to practice.
 
The committee will intensify oversight of: 

• The comprehensive budgeting and rollout of shelters, Khuseleka Care Centres in each district and psychosocial support services to victims of crime and violence.
• Funding of NPOs rendering GBV services.
• Finalisation of the Victim Support Services Bill.
• Strengthening of social workers, counsellors and community-based services.
• The Department of Social Development’s collaboration with all relevant departments, particularly the South African Police Service and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. There is a serious need for an integrated referral system between these departments to ensure that reported cases of GBVF, services and interventions instituted are traceable and monitored. No victim of GBVF should be lost in a disintegrated system anymore, as it is currently the situation.

“We will be demanding clear 30-, 60- and 90-day deliverables from departments, in line with the national disaster classification. We want to ensure that the declaration of GBVF as a national disaster unlocks the resources that are needed to push South Africa towards a GBVF-free country,” emphasised Ms Masango.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango