Godongwana says GBVF funding options to appear in MTBPS after ANCWL memorandum

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the government is considering how to resource the response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), and that details will be reflected in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), after the ANC Women’s League delivered a memorandum requesting dedicated funding.

Memorandum pressed for dedicated resources

The ANCWL handed a memorandum to Treasury in Pretoria arguing that, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa classifying GBVF as a national disaster, government had not allocated sufficient resources to tackle the crisis. The league said the classification should translate into improved access to survivor services, emergency support, prevention programmes, monitoring, reporting and oversight.

Government response and next steps

Godongwana acknowledged the concerns raised by the ANCWL and said there was a legitimate expectation that the classification of GBVF should lead to practical interventions. He noted that government has set up several work streams to determine what the classification means in operational terms and how the crisis should be addressed.

“It is correct for them to raise the issue, particularly when we celebrate 70 years of the Women’s March,”

He cautioned that within government the terms “classification” and “declaration” have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably.

Coordination, existing budgets and a possible fund

Godongwana said some government departments are already contributing to GBVF efforts through their existing budgets, but that coordination and monitoring remain a challenge. He said consolidation of efforts across departments may be needed.

The ANCWL has called for a ring-fenced fund to strengthen survivor support services, prevention programmes and oversight. Godongwana said whether a separate fund is created would depend on the objectives, and that some interventions could be paid for through relevant departments. As an example, he mentioned the possible placement of social workers at police stations as something that could be funded by the responsible department rather than a standalone fund.

MTBPS to indicate funding approach; no figures confirmed

Godongwana said the government’s work on GBVF funding would be reflected in the MTBPS, but he could not confirm any allocation amounts. He emphasised that large funding requests must be assessed alongside the government’s ability to effectively use the resources and that the work streams had not yet produced a consolidated budget proposal.

“In the medium-term budget speech, there will be a statement to the effect that, I don’t know the numbers, there’s some work which has been done. And therefore, there needs to be an allocation in the budget,”

He also distanced himself from reports of a proposed R5 billion emergency response fund, saying, “I’ve never mentioned the five billion figure.”

Existing institutional steps

The government’s response to GBVF has included the establishment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NCGBVF), a statutory body tasked with providing strategic leadership and coordinating implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF.