South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers an address on gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. Photo: GCIS

NNA News - President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a national review of unresolved cases involving women and children and a 60-day plan to address forensic backlogs after the discovery of 11 women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni since July.

Addressing the nation on Tuesday night, Ramaphosa said the killings had exposed continuing weaknesses in the country's response to gender-based violence and femicide, while announcing four measures covering criminal investigations, forensic evidence, community safety and alcohol-related violence.

“What we have done has not been enough. We need to do much more,” Ramaphosa said.

The President said a specialised multidisciplinary investigation into the Ekurhuleni killings had been elevated to national level, involving detectives, Crime Intelligence, forensic specialists, investigative psychologists and digital investigators. Some suspects have already been arrested in individual cases, while police have collected DNA, blood samples, clothing, cellphone records and other evidence.

Ramaphosa said investigators had not established that the deaths were linked to a single perpetrator, cautioning against conclusions that could compromise the investigations.

The killings have unfolded against a broader national crisis. The government classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster last year, while the National Council on GBVF was established as a statutory body to coordinate the national response. The government has also expanded Sexual Offences Courts, Thuthuzela Care Centres, victim-friendly services and GBV desks at police stations.

Yet the latest cases have raised questions about how effectively those measures are working.

During a parliamentary debate on Tuesday, Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel acknowledged continuing problems in the criminal justice system, including implementation, resources and accountability.

“There are challenges of implementation, of resourcing, and of accountability across the criminal justice system,” Nel said.

He disclosed that 1,658 sexual-offence charges were withdrawn during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, while 563 sexual-offence cases had remained in the system for at least 24 months.

The National Council on GBVF had already appealed to families of missing people in Gauteng to assist police and health authorities with DNA identification after unidentified women's bodies were discovered in Ekurhuleni.

“The Council appeals to any family with a missing loved one in Gauteng to come forward to the SAPS and to the Gauteng Department of Health so that DNA identification can proceed,” it said.

The council also warned against treating the women as statistics, saying each had families and communities affected by the deaths.

Political parties have taken different positions on the government's response.

The African National Congress, which leads the national government, called for urgent investigations when the killings first emerged in September and urged SAPS to identify and arrest those responsible. The ANC said the deaths had again highlighted the scale of GBV and femicide in South Africa.

The Democratic Alliance has questioned whether another set of government commitments will produce practical changes. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said the focus should be on whether perpetrators are detected, arrested and successfully prosecuted.

“Women are dying while Ramaphosa keeps promising,” Hill-Lewis said in a statement following the President's address.

The DA has also called for Parliament to debate the Ekurhuleni killings and has argued for stronger municipal law-enforcement capacity and safer public spaces.

The Inkatha Freedom Party has similarly called for intensified policing, saying the deaths required urgent action to identify and arrest those responsible. The party has also called for greater involvement by men in confronting violence against women.

The EFF has linked the Ekurhuleni killings to what it describes as a wider failure to protect women. In a Heritage Day statement, the party cited 6,782 calls to the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre between Sept. 1 and 16, saying the figure was 21 percent above the August average.

Against these competing assessments, Ramaphosa's new measures now place specific deadlines on government institutions.

The Ministers of Police and Justice have been directed to conduct a 60-day national case-recovery operation covering unresolved murders, attempted murders, rapes and serious sexual offences involving women and children. Police and forensic authorities must also produce a funded plan within 60 days to reduce forensic backlogs.

Municipalities are required to conduct women's safety audits, including examining broken lighting, unsafe public spaces and other environmental risks. The government also plans a coordinated package addressing alcohol-related violence.

The National Council on GBVF and the Inter-Ministerial Committee will monitor implementation, with the first consolidated public progress report due within 90 days and further reports every quarter.

The measures come seven years after Ramaphosa first addressed the country on the GBVF crisis in the wake of widespread protests in 2019. In Tuesday's address, he acknowledged the gap between government programmes and the experience of women.

“Institutions and programmes mean little if they do not work when a woman needs them,” he said.

The immediate focus is now on the Ekurhuleni investigations, but the wider test for government will be whether the new deadlines lead to faster investigations, fewer forensic delays and more effective prosecution of serious crimes against women and children.