The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has found that femicide cases where the investigation failed to identify a perpetrator have been increasing over the years.
The SAMRC revealed that in 2020/2021 there were 44% femicide cases where the suspect could not be identified, an increase compared to 30% reported in 2017.
As the country marks 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children from Monday, an urgent call has been made to urgently finalise the National Integrated Strategy on the Prevention of Femicide in South Africa.
The policy seeks to strengthen the legislation and develop femicide-specific policies and guidelines to prevent and respond to femicide, among other objectives.
According to SAMRC, between 2009 and 2020/2021, intimate partner femicide was the leading cause of femicide.
The SAMRC recently presented its research on the scope of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development. Further painting a bleak picture, the research found that three women are killed per day by an intimate partner, while 1 in 4 women reported experiences of physical and sexual abuse.
Over the last 20 years, South Africa has recorded an estimated 10 972 cases of femicide.
Committee chairperson Bridget Masango said they were concerned that the needle was not moving in the right direction in the fight against GBV and femicide cases.
“Despite this high prevalence of femicide in South Africa, the SAMRC told the committee that South Africa did not have a national strategy or policy on femicide, similar to the National Strategic Plan on GBVF,” said Masango.
The research council in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development developed the National Integrated Strategy.
However, implementation progress was still an issue, and the committee resolved that the Department of Social Development must prepare a detailed progress report which will include reports from the provincial departments.
This is expected to be presented to the committee on December 4.
“We are not winning the fight against what President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the second pandemic in South Africa. There does not seem to be collaboration among stakeholders in efforts to implement the national strategic plan. Further, it is concerning that the programmes the government has to prevent teenage pregnancies don’t seem to be yielding encouraging results,” said Masango.
Head of the Executive of the National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA), Dr Zubeda Dangor said the statistics were a reflection that the country was not taking femicide issues seriously.
“We are still paying lip service to the scourge of GBV and femicide. There is a complete lack of accountability in not identifying perpetrators that kill their partners or intimate partners.
The fact that this identification problem has increased is outrageous and unacceptable. The National Integrated Strategy for the Prevention of Femicide in South Africa needs to be strengthened and policies need to be developed that will specifically speak to the issue of femicide and guidelines to respond to this. This is urgent and needs to reach our legislatures and the president,” said Dangor.
Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said despite the devastating prevalence of femicide there remains no dedicated national strategy or policy to prevent and respond to these crimes.
“Ilitha Labantu supports the urgent call for the finalisation and implementation of the National Integrated Strategy for the Prevention of Femicide in South Africa.
“The lack of coordination and accountability among stakeholders in implementing the National Strategic Plan has left many communities, particularly those lacking adequate resources, vulnerable to the ongoing scourge of violence.
“It is utterly unacceptable that we should accept the findings of unaddressed femicide cases without any meaningful reform. If we continue to treat these issues as ‘business as usual’ we will perpetuate a system where justice is denied, and perpetrators act with impunity,” said Monakali.
“This cycle of violence must end, urgent and sustained reform is essential to ensure justice is served and to hold offenders accountable,” said Monakali.
Cape Times