President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the second Presidential Gender-Base Violence and Femicide Summit (GBVF) in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, that he and his ministers must account to the public for the continued high number of attacks that continue to be perpetrated by men on women and children in the country.
Ramaphosa has acknowledged that the incidence of GBVF continues to increase despite government efforts to counter the problem. The President says the high number of attacks on women and children is worrying.
“The nation has been horrified by the brutal violence that took the lives of Tshegofatso Pule, Nosicelo Mthembeni, Hillary Gardee, Namhla Mtwa, Dimpho Skelenge, just babies are not being spared. Even the elderly has become target of violent men in our country.”
That is why all of us who are attending this Summit must be focused on action and results. We need to be critical about those areas of the National Strategic Plan in which there has been little or no progress.#endGBVF https://t.co/ifHEWQ6ihl
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 1, 2022
The summit aims to reflect on the work undertaken since the 2018 Summit, provide feedback and create a space for accountability in eradicating what Ramaphosa has labelled a pandemic.
Activists at Gallagher Estate, the venue for the summit, are tearing into government officials for not doing enough for tackle gender-based violence and femicide and protect survivors
This happened just before Ramaphosa was set to address stakeholders who have gathered to find solutions to the scourge.
At the height of the COVID19, President Ramaphosa termed the scourge a pandemic as women across the country were forced to be at home due to lockdown restrictions and some having to live with their abusers. Despite the first summit being held almost five years ago, the country still faces high levels of violence against women and children.
Below is the live stream from the summit:
