News24 | Ramaphosa vows to tackle gender-based violence ‘disaster’ with more funds, tech, resources

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced more resources would be made available to help fight gender-based violence.

Yolanda Mdzeke/News24

• Cyril Ramaphosa pledged increased funding, resources, and technology to combat GBV.
• He condemned the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni, calling GBV a national crisis requiring urgent action.
• An interministerial committee will develop initiatives to ensure women’s safety.
• For more political news, visit News24 Politics.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that more money, resources and technology will be channelled into fighting gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa.

He also called on men to never regard women as their playground or as people or citizens that they should harm or even kill.

In addition, Ramaphosa said GBV and femicide were not only a problem for women, but “a national crisis, and we need to be treating it as exactly that”.

The president was addressing the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni while he was on the sidelines of the ANC Veterans League golf day at the Johannesburg Country Club.

The number of bodies found now sits at nine, with police announcing that three people had been arrested in connection with the murder of the ninth victim.

Ramaphosa said he was concerned about the killing of women in Ekurhuleni, and more broadly, about the way the women are subjected to GBV right across the country.

“We did say that we regard gender-based violence and femicide as a disaster, and at the government level, we have been making many efforts to deal with the problem,” he added.

Ramaphosa said the recent murders in Ekurhuleni had driven a great deal of fear into the hearts and minds of the women in the country.

“The women of South Africa should never have to live in fear of men, and that is precisely what we are now going to be addressing more forcefully.”

He said the government would pull out all the stops to find the perpetrators.

Ramaphosa added: “Men must continue respecting women, honouring women. The women of our country are the builders of the nation. They carry this nation on their shoulders; to abuse them and to even kill them is a real blight against all of us.”

“The women of South Africa should never have to live in fear of men and that is precisely what we are going to addressing more forcefully.” pic.twitter.com/r5jVFdXDAv

— ANC - African National Congress (@MYANC) September 21, 2026

Ramaphosa said that the interministerial committee (IMC) on GBV would develop several initiatives, which he would then address.

“We are going to deploy more money, more resources, more technology, to ensure that we deal with the fear that women are now subjected to. We are taking this very seriously.”

He added that the government was committed to ensuring women’s safety.

“Yes, there will be missteps along the way, and there will be areas where we will be neglectful, but the commitment is there, and it is fierce and forceful.”

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