Following a sharp reprimand from President Cyril Ramaphosa over delays in establishing the National Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Council, appointments to the long-awaited body are now expected soon.
House Chairperson Cedric Frolick has emphasized that the matter is a priority, directing the portfolio committee to act without further delay. The council, created through a parliamentary act signed by President Ramaphosa nearly a year ago, is intended to provide strategic leadership in combating GBV and femicide in South Africa.
Speaking to VOC News, Caroline Peters, director of the Callas Foundation, highlighted the protracted delays: “This National Gender-Based Violence Council goes back to the GBV Summit. One of the key demands was that the GBV Council be established. This was signed off by the president last year. A year later, nothing has been done.”
Peters criticized the lack of progress: “There hasn’t even been a call for nominations. It’s positive that the president has finally issued a wake-up call, reminding us that action can no longer be delayed. GBV is a national crisis. During COVID, the president referred to GBV as a pandemic, yet there is still no National Council in place.”
She stressed the human cost of political inaction: “We all see the escalation of gender-based violence. Women are killed at five times the global average. Parliament’s delay, despite the act being signed nearly a year ago, raises serious questions about political will. Survivors and civil society have been waiting for this mechanism to coordinate society and government’s response to GBV. Lives are at stake, and every delay costs more women and children their lives.”
The formation of the National GBV Council is widely seen as a crucial step in unifying efforts across government and civil society to tackle one of South Africa’s most urgent social crises.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
