The Presidency has stated that the President will speak on:
- The steps government is taking to confront gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
- An update on investigations into the murders of women in and around the City of Ekurhuleni (Gauteng’s East Rand).
The SABC will provide a broadcast feed to media houses. The Presidency will also livestream the address on its digital platforms (including X/@PresidencyZA and other official channels).
Background and context
This follows a series of grim discoveries that have deeply shocked the country. Since mid-July 2026, the bodies of multiple women (reports range from 11–12 as of late September) have been found in and around Ekurhuleni, including areas such as Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, Kwa-Thema, Dawn Park/Tembisa and others. Many were discovered in open veld, near roads, rivers or other secluded spots; several appeared partially clothed or showed signs of trauma. Police have not confirmed a single serial killer, though the clustering of cases has raised that possibility, and some individual cases have seen arrests (including in connection with at least one of the later victims).
The killings prompted the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBVF to approve a Comprehensive Emergency Strategy aligned with the National Strategic Plan on GBVF. Key elements include elevated multidisciplinary investigation teams (coordinated at a high level within SAPS Detective Services), increased police visibility and operations, enforcement against illegal liquor and drugs, environmental measures (debushing, clearing dumping sites), and stronger victim-support and prevention work.
Ramaphosa first publicly flagged the forthcoming national address during his Heritage Day speech in Oudtshoorn on 24 September 2026. He condemned the “abuse, rape and killing of women” as a national shame that “is not our heritage,” stating that women must be able to walk the streets at any hour without fear, and that violence against women will not form part of the inheritance left to the next generation.
Broader significance
GBVF remains one of South Africa’s most persistent and devastating social crises. Successive governments have launched strategic plans, emergency response action plans, specialised courts, Thuthuzela Care Centres, and public campaigns, yet the scale of violence against women continues to generate public anger, grief, and demands for tangible results rather than further statements. Public reaction on social media ahead of tonight’s address has mixed anticipation with scepticism — many South Africans are calling for concrete action, arrests, convictions, and systemic fixes rather than another “family meeting.”
The address comes at a moment of heightened national sensitivity around women’s safety, rule of law, and the credibility of state responses to violent crime.
Tune in at 19:00 for the live address. Official updates and the full speech text are expected to be released afterwards via the Presidency and government platforms.
