At least 11 women have been killed in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since July. On Tuesday, September 29, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the country on national television, saying the response hasn’t been enough. He ordered a nationwide women’s safety audit, due within 60 days.
The 11th victim’s body turned up Sunday. Residents are frightened. Ekurhuleni remained on high alert while authorities investigated whether a serial killer or killers were responsible, though police hadn’t confirmed a link between the killings.
What the President Ordered
Ramaphosa directed local authorities to identify dangerous, high-risk areas, including places with broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and poorly secured parks. These are everyday failures of public maintenance, and the audit will put them on the record.
He said funded plans would follow the audits to address hotspots and backlogs in solving gender-based violence crimes. He also ordered police and the National Prosecuting Authority to review unresolved cases within 90 days. The review covers murders, attempted murders, rapes and other gender-based violence cases.
A high-level team is investigating the Ekurhuleni killings.
“This can’t be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa,” Ramaphosa said. “We must confront an uncomfortable truth. What we’ve done hasn’t been enough.”
Who Carries the Burden
The president spoke plainly about who has borne the cost of the violence. “Women change their routes home, avoid going out at night and warn one another about dangerous places and dangerous men,” he said. “We’ve placed the burden of male violence on women.”
The figures behind that statement are stark. South Africa recorded 5,427 homicides from April to July, according to official crime statistics. UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality, says the country’s femicide rate is among the highest in the world. A 2022 study by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point.
Ramaphosa noted that most women who experience such violence know their attackers. He called on men to lead the fight against gender-based violence.
The Investigation
Ramaphosa said police had arrested four suspects. In some cases, he said, police had identified persons of interest and collected forensic material, including DNA, blood samples, clothing, cellphones and cellphone records.
Police hadn’t confirmed that the killings were linked. As of Tuesday, it remained unclear whether one offender or several were responsible.
Why This Matters:
The announcement sets public deadlines: 60 days for the safety audit and 90 days for the case review. These deadlines give residents, advocacy groups and lawmakers a benchmark for measuring the government’s work. The audit treats women’s safety as a matter of public infrastructure, not just policing. Local authorities are responsible for broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and unsecured parks, and must now document them. The president’s promise of funded plans matters: identifying hotspots only helps if money follows. Reviewing unresolved cases addresses a backlog that leaves victims’ families waiting. With femicide rates among the world’s highest, according to UN Women, how officials carry out these commitments will show whether the burden Ramaphosa described shifts away from women.