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GBVF Summit: ‘SA men responsible for ending barbaric acts’ – Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa said women cannot be held responsible to end GBV: 'It is men who are responsible, they must act'.
Photo: The Presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday addressed the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in Midrand.
The goal of the summit is to hold government and stakeholders accountable for the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
GBVF Summit 2022:
President Ramaphosa’s address
The president said there had been a 52% increase in the murder of women and a 46% increase in the murder of children between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
He said there are no words to describe “these horrific murders and rapes“, and that it tells a “deeply disturbing story about society”.
“[It] tells a story of a nation seemingly at war with itself, and at work with the women and children of the country,” he said.
“These barbaric acts are a shameful indictment on the men of SA. It is not women who are responsible for ending such crimes. It is men who are responsible.”
“[Men] they must take responsibility. They are the ones who must act.”
He said: “We owe it to the women of our country” and to “everyone who has been a victim of the scourge of gender-based violence” to deal with “these issues that continue to haunt them”.
“This scourge affects all of us, not only women. The actions we take now will determine whether this crime forever remains a feature of our lives.”
National Strategic Plan on GBVF
Ramaphosa said he appreciated the earlier session, “which gave many of you a platform and opportunity to raise a number of questions as well as concerns”.
In addition, the said the National Strategic Plan on GBVF in South Africa “gave him pride” since it wasn’t a government-only initiative.
Instead, it was “carefully crafted and put together” with the assistance of civil society and activism groups.
Ramaphosa said drafting the plan was a “defining moment for our country, […] and this plan of ours must be made to work”.
[WATCH] President @CyrilRamaphosa arrives at the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide held in Midrand. #GBVFSummit2022 #EndGBV pic.twitter.com/VWlKvWQ137
— @SAgovnews (@SAgovnews) November 1, 2022
Delay in implementing plan
Calls for the plan were made at the GBVF Summit in 2018, and President Ramaphosa signed it into law on 31 April 2020.
However, many activists and civil groups feel there has been little to no progress in implementing the plan.
ALSO READ: GBVF Summit: Political red tape blamed for delay in taking action
Ramaphosa also called on everyone present to study the pillars, determine where government has failed, and to hold the various stakeholders responsible.
The six pillars of the GBVF plan are:
- Accountability, coordination and leadership
- Prevention and rebuilding social cohesion
- Justice, safety and protection
- Research and information system
- Economic power
- Response, care, support and healing.
Ministers feel the heat
Activists were driven by the theme – Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification, NOW – and demanded immediate answers.
Several ministers came under fire – Police Minister Bheki Cele was asked to provide more concrete evidence on the DNA backlog being reduced.
Ministers were told they could not stand on the podium and say they know what it feels like to live with crime in South Africa – they all have bodyguards.
Sihle Sibisi, founder of the Kwanele Foundation, didn’t want to hear excuses when it comes to funding for victims of gender-based violence.
She said: “Cele, Covid-19 came, you as ministers and presidents were able to get money out of the rocks, grass and water to make sure that people even in the rural areas were educated about Covid-19”.
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