US EditionGender-based violence and femicide declared a national disaster
The classification aims to reinforce existing programs without triggering emergency powers; civil society gathered over one million signatures for this formal recognition.
- The National Disaster Management Centre classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster, but the ministry said this does not invoke emergency powers or new regulations.
- After mass petitions, Women for Change pressed the government to act, gathering more than a million signatures while Parliament concluded processes last year and the law came into force after a proclamation.
- The classification aims to bolster the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBVF and the 90-day GBVF Acceleration Programme, expanding Thuthuzela Care Centres and strengthening sexual offences courts, the ministry said.
- The National Council on GBVF remains unstaffed and requires parliamentary nominations; the Treasury allocated funds, but full staffing depends on seven National Assembly members and eight public-service members.
- The minister said the board should be established by the first of April next year, and once established, a CEO will be appointed to hire staff and operationalise the council.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Gender-based violence and femicide declared national disaster, but with caveats
The National Council, overseeing the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (2020-2030), is still not operational as of 2025, however the government has now declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster.
SA declares gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster amid rising crisis – The Mail & Guardian
The government has officially classified gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster. The head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Bongani Sithole, made the decision after reviewing new reports from government and civil society. The centre found that the ongoing violence poses serious and immediate risks to people’s safety and now meets the legal definition of a national disaster. “This effort brings together every p…
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