Ramaphosa appoints National GBV Council to lead fight against femicide

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed members of the National Council on Gender‑Based Violence and Femicide for a three‑year term as part of efforts to strengthen South Africa’s response to gender‑based violence and femicide.

Council mandate and legal basis

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president made the appointments in terms of section 6(1)(a) read with sections 6(2) and (3), and section 9(1)(a) of the National Council on Gender Based Violence Act, 2024 (Act No.9 of 2024).

Magwenya said the Council is a statutory body “mandated to provide strategic leadership on the elimination of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa.” He added the body is “charged with coordinating a multi-sectoral and inter-sectoral approach towards the implementation of the national strategy addressing gender-based violence and femicide at national, provincial and local level and at community and other forums.”

Appointments and leadership

Members appointed to the Council are: Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe; Ms Keitumetse Fatimata Moutloatse; Ms Caroline Peters; Dr Zubeda Dangor; Ms Vuyisiwe Numalo; Mr Anele Siswana; and Mr TWM Limema.

Magwenya said: “President Ramaphosa has designated Dr Ramalepe L. Mathibe as the Chairperson of the Council and Ms Welheminah R. (Shoki) Tshabalala as the Deputy Chairperson.”

Timing and national disaster classification

The Council begins its term at the start of Women’s Month. Magwenya said the president expects the Council to “leverage the classification of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster to challenge harmful attitudes and practices, and advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen law enforcement and scale up survivor-centred support.”

The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) officially classified gender‑based violence (GBV) as a national disaster. The announcement followed nationwide protests in which thousands of women staged a shutdown demanding urgent action, and it came a day after Ramaphosa declared GBVF a national crisis.

What the government says

“The Council is a statutory body mandated to provide strategic leadership on the elimination of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa.” Vincent Magwenya

The newly appointed Council is expected to coordinate a multi‑sectoral response and guide implementation of the national strategy against GBV and femicide across government and communities.