Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has welcomed the decision of the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, to classify gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act of 2002.
According to the department, this decisive action comes after a comprehensive reassessment of earlier reports and updated submissions from state organs and civil organisations.
“After evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, the NDMC has concluded that GBVF now meets the threshold of a potential disaster as defined in the Act,” the department said in a statement on Friday.
Citing Sections 23 and 26 of the Act, the department explained that the National Executive now carries primary responsibility for coordinating and managing this national disaster, using existing legislation and the contingency arrangements already established across government.
“The classification calls on all organs of state to strengthen their support to existing GBVF response structures, to fully implement their contingency arrangements, and to ensure that all necessary mechanisms are activated to enable the National Executive to manage the disaster effectively.”
In terms of Section 22 of the Act, the department said organs of state, the private sector, communities and individuals are urged to intensify their risk-reduction and prevention practices through the implementation of GBVF-related standards, procedures and legislative measures.
In addition, individuals are strongly encouraged to refrain from any acts of GBVF.
Meanwhile, the national, provincial, and municipal authorities are also advised, consistent with the Act, to implement multisectoral prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation plans to address the effects of this disaster holistically.
Importantly, the department stated that this classification does not invoke emergency powers.
Instead, it reinforces and strengthens existing systems by consolidating key initiatives.
These include the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBVF, the Intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Management, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) Priority Committee, the 90-Day GBVF Acceleration Programme, the expansion of Thuthuzela Care Centres, the strengthening of Sexual Offences Courts, and ongoing reforms within the criminal justice system.
All affected organs of state are required to submit progress reports to the NDMC, as set out in Section 24, to enable the monitoring of interventions by government departments, municipalities, non-government organisations and communities.
Meanwhile, the notice explains that the classification will be revoked by the Head of the NDMC once the occurrence can no longer be regarded as a disaster under the Act, unless a national state of disaster is declared in the future.
In that case, the classification will automatically lapse when the national state of disaster ends or expires in terms of Section 27(5).
“This effort pulls together every sphere of government and every critical sector, including policing, social development, justice, health, education, economic development, and traditional leadership. Above all, it confirms a fundamental truth that GBVF is not a women’s issue. It is a national crisis,” Hlabisa said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement declaring GBVF as a national crisis.
DWYPD Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said the “bold and necessary” declaration marks a significant step toward strengthening South Africa’s multi-sectoral response to “one of the most devastating and persistent human rights violations affecting women, children, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups.”
READ | DWYPD welcomes President Ramaphosa’s call as GBVF declared a national crisis
President Ramaphosa made the announcement when he was delivering the keynote address at the closing ceremony of the G20 Social Summit at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni, on Thursday. – SAnews.gov.za
