South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a series of measures to tackle gender-based violence following a national outcry over the killings of at least 11 women in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.
The discovery of the women’s bodies since mid-July has renewed concerns over the persistent violence against women in South Africa, particularly after the body of an 11th victim was found on Sunday.
Authorities have placed the area on high alert as investigations continue into whether the killings could be linked to a serial offender or offenders.
“The nation is angry. The women of South Africa are angry. Their anger is justified. I share that anger,” Ramaphosa said in a televised national address on Tuesday.
Among the measures announced by the president is a crackdown on alcohol abuse and a nationwide audit of women’s safety to be completed within 60 days.
Under the audit, local authorities will be required to identify dangerous and high-risk areas, including locations with broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and poorly secured parks.
Ramaphosa also directed the police and National Prosecuting Authority to review, within 90 days, unresolved cases involving murder, attempted murder, rape and other forms of gender-based violence.
He said a multidisciplinary national emergency response had also been activated to investigate the Ekurhuleni killings, with four people currently in police custody.
“There has understandably been widespread fear that the discovery of these women in close proximity could indicate the work of a single perpetrator,” Ramaphosa said.
“At present, the police have not found evidence establishing that these killings were committed by a single perpetrator.”
The latest victim was found in an open field on Sunday, a day after the body of a semi-naked woman was discovered near a cemetery in the same municipality.
Several of the victims were women in their 20s and 30s. Some were reportedly found partially undressed and with signs indicating possible sexual assault.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that despite the government declaring gender-based violence a national disaster last year, authorities had not done enough to protect women.
“We must confront an uncomfortable truth. What we have done has not been enough. We need to do much more,” he said.
South Africa recorded 5,427 homicides between April and July, according to official crime statistics.
The country also has one of the world’s highest reported femicide rates, according to UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality.
