Authorities in Gauteng have undertaken to move swiftly in efforts to curb incidents of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in the province.
The provincial government has agreed on a range of measures to be implemented immediately. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi briefed the media alongside other senior officials, including Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Deputy Minister of Police Polly Boshielo and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni.
The briefing followed a high-level intergovernmental meeting prompted by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national address on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide this week, in which he instructed state institutions to put urgent measures in place to address the scourge. This follows the discovery of the bodies of at least a dozen women in secluded areas in Ekurhuleni.
Among the measures announced, Lesufi said additional resources would be made available to a number of police stations that have been identified as being overwhelmed.
“We also resolved to prioritise the provision of additional resources to the ten police stations that have recorded the highest volume of rape cases in the province,” he said.
The stations include Rietgat, Alexandra, Mamelodi, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Dobsonville, Redhill, Midrand and Thembisa, among others.
The Premier said the province would be able to deliver on the President’s instructions relatively quickly, citing work that was already under way.
“Importantly, Gauteng is not starting from scratch. We are building on work that is already underway across the province and, in response to the President’s call, we are accelerating and strengthening these interventions.
“We have an existing IGR framework that was adopted and utilised to prepare for the G20 Summit, which has since been utilised to deal with water and electricity disruptions in the province.
“To coordinate responses across local, provincial and national government levels, we will make use of these existing committees, which will meet weekly:
- Intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Management: Coordinating local government matters.
- Intergovernmental Committee on Police: Bringing together law enforcement resources,” he said.
The government also thanked the police for making arrests in connection with some of the cases involving the 12 bodies. Authorities also revealed that three of the women remain unidentified.