South Africa has declared GBV a disaster, but declarations alone do not save lives - IOL

A 30-minute silent protest against violence against women took place at the Castle of Good Hope and in front of the Cape Town central police Station on September 16. Dressed in black participants gathered in silence to remember women whose lives have been taken by violence and to stand in solidarity with women who continue to live in fear.

The discovery of eight murdered women across the Ekurhuleni metropolitan area between July and September 2026 has jolted the nation into a grim reckoning.

Each body – bound, brutalised, discarded – is not only evidence of a crime but a haunting reminder of the vulnerability women face daily in South Africa.

The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found on July 15, near the R21 in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park.

Naked, bound with cable ties, she became the harbinger of a series of killings that would stretch over two months.

By mid-September, eight women had been recovered across Ekurhuleni.

Police are still probing whether these deaths are linked, perhaps the work of a serial killer.

Yet the deeper question remains: why did it take multiple discoveries before a specialised task team was assembled?

The slow escalation raises uncomfortable questions.

Were the protocols for suspected serial crimes followed?

Were the detectives, forensic experts, and technology deployed swiftly enough?

Did leadership failures at station or provincial level delay decisive action?

Most damningly, were communities warned about the potential danger, or left in the dark until the media broke the silence?

The Constitutional Court’s ruling in AK v Minister of Police was more than a legal victory for one survivor of rape – it was a national indictment of policing failures in South Africa.

For too long, women have been told to trust a system that routinely abandons them.

This judgment tore away the veil, exposing the negligence that has become almost routine in gender-based violence investigations.

In December 2010, a woman was abducted near Kings Beach in Gqeberha and subjected to 15 hours of rape and torture. Police mounted searches – on foot, with dogs, even by helicopter – but failed to find her.

She escaped on her own. Years later, she sued the Minister of Police, arguing that the omissions in the investigation were negligent.

The Constitutional Court agreed, reinstating liability after lower courts had absolved the police.

The ruling was clear: the police have a constitutional duty to act reasonably and effectively in protecting citizens, especially in cases of gender-based violence.

This judgment should have been a turning point. It placed SAPS under constitutional scrutiny, demanding higher standards in searches, forensic work, and victim support.

It warned that failures would no longer be shielded by bureaucratic excuses.

Yet, years later, the discovery of serial murders across Ekurhuleni shows how little has changed. Task teams are convened too late, communities are left uninformed, and leadership remains sluggish.

The ruling gave survivors a powerful tool: the ability to sue for damages when police fail them.

But litigation is not prevention. It is a painful, costly path that comes only after the harm is done. What South Africa needs is a police service that acts with urgency before women are forced to seek justice in court.

Gender-based violence is not only a crime epidemic; it is a constitutional crisis. Each failure of investigation is a betrayal of the promise enshrined in our Bill of Rights.

The Constitutional Court has spoken. The question is whether the police will listen – or whether women will continue to escape on their own, while justice arrives years too late.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly declared GBV a national priority.

Yet, as these appointments were being announced, bodies were being picked up across Ekurhuleni. The timing underscores the gap between policy and lived reality.

On September 15, another woman was found in Pietermaritzburg – hands tied, body burned, discarded near a dumping site.

Her death is not an isolated tragedy but part of a relentless tide of violence sweeping across the country.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, running annually from November 25 to December 10, has mobilised billions of rands for shelters, survivor services, and justice reforms.

It has raised awareness and accountability. Yet its impact is more symbolic than systemic. GBV rates remain stubbornly high, entrenched in institutions, cultures, and traditions.

The truth is stark: GBV is not a seasonal campaign issue but a daily national emergency. It is systemic, widespread, and disproportionately affects women and girls.

It corrodes families, communities, and the very fabric of democracy.

South Africa has declared GBV a disaster.

But declarations alone do not save lives.

What is needed is relentless enforcement, community mobilisation, and leadership that acts before the headlines scream.

Until then, the question lingers painfully: is enough being done?

Yogas Nair has been appointed to co-head the GBV desk.

* Yogas Nair is the Provincial Editor IOL (KZN) and co-heads IOL's Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Desk.