Owing to an alarming surge in gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) incidents across the country, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster has resolved to urgently reconstitute the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on GBVF and launch a 90-day acceleration programme to intensify the national response was adopted.

The JCPS Cluster has made a formal request to President Cyril Ramaphosa for the re-establishment of the IMC under government's Seventh Administration, which will serve as the central coordinating mechanism through which government interventions will be expedited and systemic bottlenecks will be resolved, including tracking with measurable progress.

The JCPS Cluster and senior officials convened a special sitting on Monday, with cluster co-chairs, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

The urgent meeting culminated in the adoption of the 90-day programme to fast-track the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF.

“This 90-day blitz marks not only a declaration of intent but the beginning of a coordinated, government-wide campaign to end GBVF. Implementation began immediately following the meeting, and the co-chairs emphasised that incremental change is no longer sufficient,” the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said.

Government noted that to strengthen the National Council on GBVF, departments will propose sustainable funding models and nominate board members at deputy director-general level or higher to reinforce institutional capacity. 

The GCIS pointed out that a dedicated GBVF Priority Committee will also be established within the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, co-chaired by the Department of Social Development and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to improve the coordination of frontline security and protection interventions.

Government noted that the JCPS Cluster further urged grassroots action, with a strong emphasis on community mobilisation and the involvement of local structures.

The GCIS said, to address inefficiencies within the criminal justice value chain, a team of senior officials had been tasked with aligning police, prosecutorial, and correctional services systems to eliminate delays in GBVF case processing.

Departments have also been instructed to identify critical institutional gaps and propose actionable, time-bound measures.

The meeting also mandated the consolidation of GBVF-related statistics across the JCPS value chain, from arrest, prosecution, conviction to incarceration, into a single integrated report, which, along with each department’s intervention points, will be submitted to the IMC.

The meeting further resolved to intensify training across the JCPS Cluster on the revised legislation, regulations, and guidelines for handling GBVF cases, noting that concerns were raised about the growing number of children arrested for sexual offences.

The GCIS has been instructed to coordinate a national webinar on GBVF, led by government experts, and to deliver targeted communication training to officials, which will focus on ensuring message alignment and professional public engagement.

The Cluster also resolved to prioritise the accelerated rollout of Thuthuzela Care Centres across all provinces to provide holistic, survivor-centred support services.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development was specifically tasked with urgently addressing the repair and maintenance of SOS systems in court facilities, to enhance safety for survivors and witnesses, especially minors, and ensuring the prevention of secondary victimisation.