South Africa is not a safe place for women. In this regard, the following cautionary note by Justice Khampepe in S v Tshabalala, Ntuli v S (2019) cannot be overemphasised:

“The notion that rape is committed by sexually deviant monsters with no self‑control is misplaced.  Law databases are replete with cases that contradict this notion.  Often, those who rape are fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, lovers, mentors, bosses and colleagues. We commune with them.  We share stories and coffee with them.  We jog with them.  We work with them.  They are ordinary people who lead normal lives.”

These comments emphasise the pervasiveness of violence against women. It occurs in all areas of society, and is an inescapable, constant threat to the lives of women. Yet women continue to mainly fight the scourge alone. Women and girls must not be expected to lead the struggle against gendered violence alone, or to take extraordinary precautions to live ordinary lives.

It is disappointing that, despite the declarations of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2025, violence against women remains a societal ill that robs women of their basic human rights to life, safety, dignity, and freedom, as enshrined in the Constitution.

The Commission welcomes the appointment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in August 2026, and calls on the state to ensure that the Council is legally, structurally, and financially capacitated to respond meaningfully to the current crisis.

Statistics show that 569 women were killed, while 1 052 survived attempted murder between April and June 2026. Furthermore, 8 814 cases of rape were reported during the first quarter of 2026. Violence against women and children also occurs in schools. The Commission’s 2026 report on the Scourge of Sexual Violence at Schools: A Crisis of Fragmentation, Delayed Integration, and Uneven Enforcement reveals the staggering pervasiveness of sexual violence in schools. It calls for greater protection of learners against sexual abuse – whether by educators, peers, staff members, service providers, or external actors.

The persistent scourge of violence against women has led the South African Human Rights Commission, the Commission for Gender Equality, and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities to conduct a historic joint National Inquiry into the Reporting, Victim support, Investigation and Pre-Trial functioning of the Criminal Justice System Response to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in South Africa. The Inquiry is scheduled to take place from 28 September 2026 to 02 October 2026.Through this inquiry, the three Constitutional bodies aim to assess the reporting, victim support, investigation, prosecution, sentencing, and rehabilitation of GBVF cases in South Africa.

The Commission’s investigative reports on service delivery in municipalities have also stressed municipalities' role in ensuring open fields are properly maintained, long grass is cut, abandoned buildings are rehabilitated, streetlights are working and water and sanitation infrastructure is accessible in safe spaces.

The Commission calls for all law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that perpetrators of these violent crimes are brought to book. The Commission has noted positive developments in the arrest of one suspect, and the identification of the second suspect.

The Commission further calls on all members of society and civil society organisations to make meaningful contributions to the upcoming joint Inquiry on GBVF, to ensure that the shortcomings that continue to confront the state’s responses to the crisis are abated.

ENDS

ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION