President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a Joint Sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces to focus the attention of elected public representatives and the nation at large on the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide.
The Joint Sitting was called for in terms of Section 84(2)(d) of the Constitution, read with Rule 7(1)(b) of the Joint Rules of Parliament, for Wednesday.
According to the Presidency, the Constitution empowers the President to summon Parliament to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business.
“In the last two weeks, South Africa’s approach to violence perpetrated against women has changed fundamentally. We all have the responsibility to ensure that these events become the turning point in our fight against gender-based violence,” the President said in a letter to Parliament dated Thursday.
President Ramaphosa recently engaged with protesters at Parliament, where he gave women the assurance that government will intensify action against men who kill women and commit various forms of abuse.
The march on Parliament took place amid a spate of deadly attacks on women and girls in various parts of the country. – SAnews.gov.za
