Ramaphosa Unveils Safety Audits and Case Reviews After Ekurhuleni Killings

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a set of measures to tackle gender-based violence after at least 11 women were killed in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since July.

In a televised national address on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said local authorities across the country must complete an audit of women's safety within 60 days. The exercise will require them to identify dangerous and high-risk areas, including places with broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and poorly secured parks.

The president also directed police and the National Prosecuting Authority to review, within 90 days, unresolved cases involving murders, attempted murders, rapes and other gender-based violence offences.

He said the audits would be followed by funded plans to address the identified hotspots and backlogs in solving such crimes.

The killings in Ekurhuleni have alarmed residents, particularly after the 11th victim's body was found on Sunday. The area remains on high alert while authorities investigate whether a serial killer or killers are responsible.

Ramaphosa said four suspects have been arrested. In some cases, police have identified persons of interest and collected forensic material, including DNA, blood samples, clothing, cellphones and cellphone records. A high-level investigating team has been assigned to the Ekurhuleni killings.

Police have not confirmed that the recent killings are linked, but they have stirred fear and anger over the country's long-standing femicide and violent crime problem.

"This cannot be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa," Ramaphosa said. "We must confront an uncomfortable truth. What we have done has not been enough."

Official crime statistics record 5,427 homicides in South Africa from April to July. According to UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality, the country's femicide rate is among the highest in the world.

Ramaphosa called on men to lead the fight against gender-based violence, noting that most women who experience such violence know their attackers. A 2022 study by a South African think tank found that more than 35% of South African adult women had experienced physical or sexual violence at some point.

"Women change their routes home, avoid going out at night and warn one another about dangerous places and dangerous men. We have placed the burden of male violence on women," he said.