GBVF declared a national disaster as women take to the streets on Friday

GBVF classified a national disaster following nationwide women’s protest on Friday

Mapaballo Borotho

Mamelodi detective accused of failing to help GBV victim — Photo by Alex Green from Pexels

South Africa has officially classified Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster under Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act.
The decision comes after ongoing reports, civil society pressure and nationwide marches by women demanding government intervention.
Authorities across all spheres are now required to strengthen prevention, response and reporting measures without invoking emergency powers.

The Head of the National Disaster Management Centre on Friday classified Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act of 2002.

This decisive action follows a thorough reassessment of previous reports and updated submissions from organs of state as well as civil organisations such as the Women For Change organisation.

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, has welcomed this decision.

“After evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, the NDMC has concluded that GBVF now meets the threshold of a potential disaster as defined in the Act.

In accordance with Sections 23 and 26 of the Act, the National Executive now carries primary responsibility for coordinating and managing this national disaster, using existing legislation and the contingency arrangements already established across government,” said Hlabisa.

This comes shortly after South African women decided to participate in a march on Friday, calling on the government to intervene on the issue of gender-based violence, remembering the fact that at least 15 women die at the hands of men on a daily basis in the country.

Hlabisa says the decision to declare GBVF a national disaster calls on all organs of state to strengthen their support for existing GBVF response structures and fully implement their contingency arrangements.

“The classification also ensures that all necessary mechanisms are activated to enable the National Executive to manage the disaster effectively.”

In terms of Section 22 of the Act:

Organs of state, the private sector, communities and individuals are urged to intensify their risk-reduction and prevention practices through the implementation of GBVF-related standards, procedures and legislative measures.
Individuals are strongly encouraged to refrain from any acts of gender-based violence or femicide.
National, provincial and municipal authorities are also advised, consistent with the Act, to implement multisectoral prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation plans to address the effects of this disaster holistically.
Importantly, this classification does not invoke emergency powers. Instead, it reinforces and strengthens the systems already in place.

All affected organs of state are required to submit progress reports to the NDMC, as set out in Section 24, to enable the monitoring of interventions by government departments, municipalities, NGOs and communities.

“This effort pulls together every sphere of government and every critical sector: policing, social development, justice, health, education, economic development, and traditional leadership. Above all, it confirms a fundamental truth: GBVF is not a women’s issue. It is a national crisis,” Minister Hlabisa said.