South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a nationwide audit of streets identified as unsafe for women after 12 women were found dead in a two‑month period east of Johannesburg.
He described the move as a “multidisciplinary, national emergency response” and pledged to address broken street lighting, abandoned buildings, and other hazards that create risk.
Ramaphosa also vowed to enact an enforcement package to tackle alcohol‑related violence, rejecting the narrative that alcohol causes gender‑based violence but acknowledging it can aggravate crime.
He called on men and boys to lead the fight against gender‑based violence, stressing that changing attitudes about women’s rights must begin long before a patriarchal impulse turns violent.
With South Africa already the world’s 15th highest homicides, the president admitted the country had “not done enough” to protect women and demanded a shift in culture, policy and policing.
