South Africa: Ramaphosa Admits the Govt Has Failed Women and Vows Action

What the report says

President Cyril Ramaphosa used a national address to acknowledge that South Africa’s government has not done enough to protect women from gender-based violence and femicide, according to Daily Maverick, distributed by AllAfrica. Speaking on Tuesday evening, he described the abuse and killings of women as a matter of national shame and said new interventions would follow. His remarks came against the backdrop of renewed concern over a series of killings in Ekurhuleni, where 11 women’s bodies have been found since July, the report said.

Ramaphosa also linked the moment to his 2019 address on the same crisis, delivered after the killing of Uyinene Mrwetyana, saying the country was again confronting a familiar emergency. He said women should not be left at risk because the state failed to maintain basic services, clear public spaces, process evidence or enforce laws. The speech framed the issue as a failure of government accountability rather than only a policing problem.

The development matters because gender-based violence remains one of South Africa’s most persistent social and political crises. The report indicates that the president’s comments were meant to signal a tougher response, but it also underscored the gap between official promises and the losses already suffered by victims and families. Contextually, South Africa has for years faced public pressure to strengthen protection, investigations and support systems for women.