Cele calls on South Africans to wage war on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide

Police Minister Bheki Cele says it is everybody’s business to wage war on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

Cele was speaking during a security cluster dialogue on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in Pretoria.

Cele says all GBVF victims should be able to access the criminal justice system.

“They should access a system that is efficient and sensitive to the needs of survivors while being accessible and responsible. In our response to gender-based violence and femicide, the police are making progress in resourcing specialised units that deal with GBVF cases with both funding and human capital.”

In this video below, National Assembly debates Gender-Based Violence:

Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Rodney de Kok, says Gender-Based Violence is one of the top priorities of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

He was one of the panellists at the security cluster dialogue on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide held in Pretoria.

De Kok says the NPA places the victims of GBVF at the centre of the judicial system, in addressing the scourge.

He says the courts are on a regular basis denying bail to perpetrators and giving long term imprisonment to include life sentences.

He says the establishment of specialised sexual offences courts is just one of the many efforts put in place to address GBVF.