President Cyril Ramaphosa will address South Africans at 19:00 this evening on the steps government is taking to confront gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and to provide an update on the investigation into the murders of women in and around the City of Ekurhuleni.

The address comes as the country reels from the discovery of the bodies of several women in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, over recent months. According to news reports, the remains of women have been found across Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas since July, prompting intensified police action. Three suspects have reportedly been arrested in connection with one of the cases.

The Presidency confirmed the national address in a short statement, noting that the president would “provide an update on investigations into the murder of women in and around the City of Ekurhuleni.” The SABC will provide a broadcast feed to media organisations and the address will be livestreamed on the Presidency’s digital platforms.

Government’s emergency response

The killings have triggered urgent government action. The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (IMC on GBVF) has approved a comprehensive emergency strategy aimed at speedily bringing the perpetrators to justice. The specialised multidisciplinary team investigating the Ekurhuleni killings has been elevated and is now coordinated by the deputy national commissioner for detective services. Ramaphosa has directed that the investigations be treated as a high priority.

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Heritage Day denunciation

The president first announced the impending address during his keynote speech at the National Heritage Day celebrations at Bongolethu Sports Stadium in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, last week. There, he issued a forceful denunciation of GBVF, declaring that violence against women has no place in South Africa’s heritage.

“If we want to strengthen the ties that bind us, we must close these distances between the lives of our people. The abuse, rape and killing of women is not our heritage. There is no culture worthy of the name that diminishes the dignity of women.”

He described the suffering endured by South African women as a “national shame,” adding: “The pain and suffering that the women of South Africa have been put through stands out as a national shame. The women of South Africa have the right to walk the streets of their country at any hour without fear.”

Watch the live stream at 19:00 here.

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