Ramaphosa: Here’s how SA will fund the fight against GBVF

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and gave clarity on the way forward.

This after earlier sessions of the summit was disrupted, rightfully so, by activists and civil society groups demanding immediate answers.

Funding the fight against GBVF

Money for Covid but not for women

Sihle Sibisi, the founder of Kwanele Foundation, made a passionate plea when addressing Police Minister Bheki Cele with regard to funding the fight against gender-based violence.

She told Cele that “ministers and presidents were able to get money out of the rocks, grass and water” to assist with Covid-19 recovery”.

Addressing Sibisi’s remark, President Ramaphosa said he has “personally been following this matter and asking why it has taken so long”.

He added: “Government tends to move slowly. Some said we moved quickly during the pandemic. Yes indeed we did, and we were armed with legislation – the disaster management act.

“We were able [act speedily] through the law to set aside a number of considerations because we had a law which enabled us to do so”.

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‘Full machinery set up’

However, the president admits that the process had taken too long. Now that is going to Parliament, he will “ensure it moves quicker”.

“We have the council and the full machinery set up”.

Ramaphosa said he liked “one of the placards very much, it said: ‘Fund The Fight’.

“Now I like that placard because it basically means that real money must be set aside to fund the fight.”

How much will this ‘real money’ be?

How the fight against GBV will be funded

President Ramaphosa said all ministries within the department were instructed to fund the National Strategic Plan.

Ramaphosa said approximately “R1.6 billion was extracted from various departments. In a way, we [told government departments to] top-slice your budget and fund this effort”.

“Now that we have a proper council in terms of the law, the National Treasury will be able to set aside, on a separate basis, the money that will fund this fight”.

He said government is in the early stage of implementation and will be “working to institutionalise it across all of government”.

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