Ramaphosa praises Siya Kolisi and Temba Bavuma in GBV appeal to SA men

President Cyril Ramaphosa has singled out Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma for using their public platforms to speak out against violence towards women.

The president praised the two national sports figures during his address to the nation on Tuesday night, 29 September, as he directed a powerful message at South African men and boys.

“It is time for good men to stop being silent men,” Ramaphosa said.

He urged men to challenge abusive and degrading behaviour rather than remain silent when they witness it.

Ramaphosa praises Kolisi and Bavuma

Ramaphosa said many South African men were already speaking out and specifically acknowledged Kolisi and Bavuma.

“We salute the many South African men, and there are many, who are already speaking out, including prominent figures such as Siya Kolisi and Temba Bavuma,” he said.

The President said the two sporting figures had used their platforms to encourage men to confront violence against women and “become better men”.

But he said that conversation had to extend far beyond prominent figures.

It needed to happen in homes, workplaces, sports clubs, universities, places of worship, taxis, shebeens, taverns and around family tables.

We salute the many South African men who are already speaking out, including prominent figures such as Siya Kolisi and Temba Bavuma, who have used their public platforms to urge men to confront violence against women and to become better men.

 That conversation must take place…

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 29, 2026

‘Challenge the friend who humiliates his partner’

Ramaphosa gave South African men a direct challenge.

“Challenge the friend who humiliates his partner. Challenge the colleague who harasses women at work. Challenge the relative who abuses his wife or girlfriend.”

The President said women could not carry the fight against gender-based violence on their own.

“The women of South Africa should not have to fight gender-based violence alone,” he said.

“The men of South Africa must stand up and fight it with them.”

‘No rejection should justify violence’

Ramaphosa also rejected attempts to blame women for violence perpetrated against them.

“Responsibility for violence always belongs to the person who commits it, never the victim,” he said.

He said no woman caused herself to be abused and no clothing could cause rape.

“No argument justifies assault. No relationship gives one person ownership over another.”

Ramaphosa then addressed violence linked to rejection and the end of relationships.

“No rejection should justify violence. And no man has the right to take the life of a woman because she chooses to leave him.”

Women should not have to calculate their safety

Ramaphosa said women and girls should not have to constantly assess how everyday decisions could put them in danger.

“We owe every woman and girl in South Africa a country in which she does not have to calculate where she may walk, what time she may travel, what she may wear, whom she may trust and whether saying no will put her in life danger,” he said.

His message came amid renewed outrage over the murders of women across the country, including the discovery of 11 women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni since July.

During the same address, Ramaphosa admitted that government’s response to gender-based violence had not been enough.

“What we have done has not been enough,” he said.

Ramaphosa orders action on attitudes towards women

Ramaphosa also directed the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to strengthen the work of the Moral Regeneration Movement.

He said it must play a meaningful role in changing attitudes, social norms and practices that enable violence against women.

The President acknowledged faith-based organisations, community groups, women’s and youth formations, educational institutions and traditional leaders already working against gender-based violence.

He called for the conversation to grow as South Africa approaches the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

“Let us use those 16 days to mobilise a formidable social movement,” Ramaphosa said.

‘No President should have to say this again’

Ramaphosa ended his address by recalling that he had spoken to South Africans about gender-based violence seven years earlier.

He said the country could not find itself in the same position seven years from now.

“Seven years from now, no President of the Republic should have to stand before this nation and say the same words again.”

Ramaphosa called on South Africans to move beyond condemnation.

“Not to simply mourn, not simply to condemn, but to act, and to keep acting until every woman in South Africa and every girl can live in freedom and dignity and safety.”