South Africa’s president has ordered an audit of unsafe streets that place women at risk, following the discovery of 12 women’s bodies within two months east of Johannesburg.
The killings have sparked a national outcry, as the country grapples with one of the world’s highest rates of gender‑based violence.
Ramaphosa also unveiled plans to curb alcohol‑related violence as part of a multi‑disciplinary emergency response to the murders.
He warned that “gender‑based violence cannot be accepted as a normal part of life” and admitted the state had not protected women and girls adequately.
The president noted that the proximity of the bodies might suggest the work of a single perpetrator, but police found no evidence of a single offender yet. Four arrests have been made.
Ramaphosa ordered every municipality to conduct a women’s safety audit promptly, identifying hazards such as broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings and unsafe transport routes.
He has directed ministers to develop a “enforcement package” to reduce alcohol‑related violence, stressing that alcohol does not cause gender‑based violence but can aggravate it.
The president called for a cultural shift that tackles attitudes that view women as inferior and that legitimise male control, emphasising that violence must be rooted in early prevention and attitude change.
He urged men and boys to take the lead in ending gender‑based violence, underscoring that the burden currently falls on women.
South Africa’s homicide rate remains among the highest globally, with 5,427 people murdered between April and June this year; the Human Rights Commission reported 569 women killed and over 1,000 survivors of attempted murder in that period.
