Ministerial press statement delivered by the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities – Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga (MP) on the outcomes of the inaugural meeting of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide
Venue: THE GCIS - Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Francis Baard Street, Hatfield, Pretoria
Time: 13h00
Deputy Minister – Ms Steve Mmapaseka Letsike
Special Advisors of the Minister
Chairperson of the Board of the National Council – Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe
Deputy Chairperson of the Board of the National Council – Ms Welheminah Shoki Tshabalala
Members of the Board of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide
Chairperson of the NYDA – Dr Sunshine Myende
Deputy Chairperson of the NYDA – Mr. Bonga Makhanya
Senior Government Officials
CEO of the NYDA
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen Good afternoon,
Introduction
In this historic year for the women of our country, seventy years since the 1956 women’s march and 72 years since the women’s charter was adopted, I am deeply honoured to be part of a team that has finally brought into being the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. I am pleased to be among you, and I am filled with hope about the road ahead.
Our inaugural meeting today is mandated by the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act 9 of 2024. By convening this morning, we have effectively set the long overdue ball rolling.
The realisation of this Council is inextricably linked to the mandate of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. It is our responsibility to lead, coordinate and monitor the work of both government and the private sector so that women, young people and persons with disabilities can fully participate in the social, political and economic life of this country. We must ensure that laws, budgets and programmes eliminate discrimination, expand access to education and employment, support enterprise and leadership, and protect every person's right to live free from violence.
Our mandate does not begin with this Department. It stretches back to the Women's Charter of 1954. The Charter demanded the removal of the social, legal and economic disabilities imposed on women. It demanded equality in work, property, marriage and family life.
The appointment establishment and operationalization of the National Council during the platinum jubilee of 1956 is more thus more than symbolic. It says that, despite the major setbacks women have faced and continue to face, we have not thrown in the towel. We are carrying the demands of the women who came before us into a statutory body that must now deliver.
The mandate that brings us together this day can also be traced to Section 198(a) of the Constitution says that a secure state must “reflect the resolve of South Africans, as individuals and as a nation, to live as equals, to live in peace and harmony, to be free from fear and want and to seek a better life”. That is the standard we are measured against.
This inaugural meeting therefore gives practical expression to our National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. The Plan itself called for this Council.
The constitutional foundation of the National Council
Ladies and gentlemen of the media,
Today indeed is a defining moment in our constitutional democracy and in our nation's ongoing struggle against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
The composition of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, established in terms of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act, 2024 (Act No. 9 of 2024), represents the culmination of a long national journey driven by survivors, women's movements, civil society organisations, faith communities, labour, traditional leaders, business and government.
This is not simply the establishment of another public institution. It is the institutionalisation of a national commitment to eradicate one of the gravest violations of human rights in democratic South Africa.
The National Council stands as a permanent, statutory and multisectoral mechanism through which South Africa will coordinate, monitor and strengthen its response to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. It embodies the collective determination of our nation to ensure that women, children and vulnerable persons can live free from fear, abuse, violence and discrimination.
The establishment of the National Council derives its legitimacy from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which remains the supreme law of the Republic.
Section 2 of the Constitution declares unequivocally that:
"The Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic; law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid, and the obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled." The supremacy of the Constitution means that all organs of state, institutions, legislation and public policies must give effect to the values and rights enshrined therein. The National Council has therefore been established to advance and protect constitutional rights.
The Bill of Rights affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom and obliges the State to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights contained therein. The Constitution further states that, “Every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.” In this case GBVF perpetuates structural inequality and denies women and girls full and equal participation in society.
The Supreme Law of the country unapologetically states that, “Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected, and everyone has the right to life. And every person has the right to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources." Thus, every act of violence against women constitutes a direct assault on human dignity. The phenomenon of femicide represents one of the most extreme violations of these constitutional rights.
These constitutional provisions are particularly significant because they impose an obligation upon the State to intervene against violence occurring in homes, relationships, workplaces and communities.
Section 34, further speak to access to Courts and emphasize that every person has the right to have disputes resolved by a court or another independent forum. Survivors of GBVF must therefore have meaningful access to justice and effective remedies.
The National Council is consequently a constitutional instrument designed to assist the State and society in converting constitutional rights from legal guarantees into lived realities.
Historical origins of the National Council
Members of the Media,
The National Council did not emerge overnight. Its origins lie in decades of activism and advocacy by women's movements and civil society organisations.
More specifically, its modern genesis can be traced to the First Presidential Summit Against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide held in November 2018, convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa following widespread public outrage at escalating levels of violence against women and children.
The Summit brought together Government; Civil society formations; Women's rights organisations; Traditional leaders; Religious organisations; Labour movements; Business representatives; Academic institutions; and Development partners.
One of the principal outcomes of that historic summit was the call for a permanent, independent, multisectoral body to coordinate South Africa's response to GBVF.
This vision was subsequently incorporated into the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP GBVF) 2020-2030, which recognised that ending GBVF would require a coordinated institutional mechanism that transcended electoral cycles and departmental boundaries.
The National Strategic Plan envisioned a responsive, representative, inclusive and accountable structure capable of mobilising all sectors of society behind a common national programme.
Following extensive consultations, legislative drafting and parliamentary processes, this vision ultimately found legal expression in the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act, No. 9 of 2024.
The National Council therefore represents the legislative fulfilment of commitments made by the nation to women, girl children, survivors and communities affected by GBVF.
Multisectoral representation of the National Council
Members of the Media,
The defining feature of the National Council is its multisectoral character. The Act recognises that Gender-Based Violence and Femicide cannot be addressed by government alone. It requires a whole-of-society response.
Accordingly, the Council includes representation from many principal sectors, which include, voices from Government, Women's rights organisations; Survivor advocacy groups; Community-based organisations; Faith-based organisations; Disability rights organisations; Youth formations; LGBTQIA+ advocacy structures; Research and academic institutions; Traditional and community leadership formations. As well as Business organisations; Corporate leaders; Employer associations; Labour formations; Industry bodies and Development Partners.
Government representation ensures policy coherence, intergovernmental coordination and implementation across the state machinery. These representatives bring institutional authority and implementation capacity necessary for the execution of governmental obligations. Civil society serves as the conscience of the national response and ensures that women, girl children, survivors and communities experiences remain at the centre of decision-making.
The Act itself recognises the indispensable role of the private sector in combating GBVF. The private sector contributes resources, innovation, workplace interventions, economic empowerment initiatives and strategic partnerships necessary to sustain a comprehensive national response.
It’s important to mention that the Council is not appointed simply to represent sectors. The duty of the Council is to the Constitution, the Act, to women, girl children, survivors of GBVF and to the people of South Africa. It is therefore paramount that the Council work as a collective and represent all voices.
The mandate of the Council
The Council is a strategic coordinating institution tasked with ensuring that South Africa's response is coherent, measurable and impactful. Its mandate includes coordinating a national multisectoral response to GBVF; Monitoring implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF; Advising government on policy and legislative reforms; Facilitating collaboration across sectors; Promoting accountability; Commissioning research and evidence generation; Monitoring progress against national targets; Mobilising resources and partnerships; Strengthening prevention programmes; and Supporting survivor-centred interventions.
The Human Sciences Research Council's First South African National Gender-Based Violence Prevalence Study
Members of the Media,
It must be stated that the Council begins its work with the strongest evidence base South Africa has ever had on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. And its operationalization takes place against the backdrop of Government's continued efforts to respond to the President Cyril Ramaphosa declaration of gender-based violence and femicide as a national crisis.
The Human Sciences Research Council's First South African National Gender-Based Violence Prevalence Study released on the 18th of November 2024, has provided the country with the first scientifically verifiable national baseline.
According to the study approximately 7.3 million women aged 18 years and older have experienced physical violence during their lifetime. More than 2.15 million women have experienced sexual violence during their lifetime. Approximately 3.2 million women reported experiencing physical intimate partner violence during their lifetime, while approximately 2.5 million men admitted perpetrating physical intimate partner violence.
Regarding women with disabilities, the HSRC study found that the prevalence of sexual violence by a lifetime partner is twice as high for women with disabilities compared to those without which is 14.6% against 7.2%. This means heinous crimes are being committed against women who can neither hear, see, nor talk — and for these women, justice is almost always denied.
Recently, the South African Police Service (SAPS) released its first-quarter crime statistics for the 2026/2027 financial year (covering April to June 2026) in late August 2026. A total of 50,511 GBVF cases were registered with the SAPS, with 30,736 resulting in arrests or referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority.
These are not just statistics. These are South African women, daughters, sisters and girl children. Above all, they are South African citizens whose constitutional rights have been violated.
The prevalence’s study alongside the SAPS statistics support President Ramaphosa’s position when he affirmed that:
“We are in a crisis. And that this crisis demands we step up measures to protect women and girls and advance their rights.”
In 2025, our government classified GBVF as a national disaster precisely because the threat to women’s life and safety has become persistent and systemic. This Council gives practical expression to the commitment of the Head of State and the whole of Government to coordinate that action.
Agreed on priorities of the National Council Board
Coming to the priorities of the Council,
We have agreed that one of the earliest priorities that the Council will need to attend to - is the conclusion of a Shareholder Compact between the Shareholder and the National Council.
The Shareholder Compact is a mechanism of accountability. It is the instrument through which the Shareholder and the Council agree on what success looks like and how it will be measured.
No mandate succeeds without resources. Therefore, one of the Council’s most important responsibilities and priority is to determine what it will truly cost South Africa to combat Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. The Council will develop a comprehensive costing framework by identifying resource gaps and developing a compelling national investment case.
On issues of good governance and fiduciary responsibility, we have agreed that the Council must be a model of ethical, accountable and transparent governance.
Conclusion: A call to national collective action
Ladies and gentlemen;
The 70 Years of the 1956 March, the 50 Years of the Youth Uprisings and the 30 Years of the Constitution; these milestones remind us that freedom, equality and dignity are not self-executing ideals. They require institutions, leadership and collective action.
The establishment and operationalization of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is one of many milestones of freedom where South Africa refuses to normalise violence against women and children.
It signals our determination to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable, survivors are protected and supported, and communities become safe spaces of human dignity.
The Council belongs not only to government, but to the nation.
Its success will depend upon the continued partnership between government, civil society, labour, business, faith communities, traditional leaders and every South African committed to building a society founded upon equality, dignity and freedom.
For this National Council on GBVF, the baseline has been established. The evidence has been gathered. The legislation has been enacted. The mandate has been conferred.
The responsibility now rests with the National Council to fulfil its mission to help transform the rights contained in the Bill of Rights into lived realities for every woman and girl child in the Republic of South Africa.
I thank you.
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