In the brave and resilient communities across South Africa, we wake up each day hopeful yet knowing all too well the trepidation that shadows our every step. Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) have reached crisis levels in our beautiful country, deeply affecting our sense of security, freedom, and the fundamental right to live without fear.

Since 2018, successive administrations have repeatedly recognised GBVF as a national crisis and made increasingly extensive commitments to address it: a Presidential Summit, a formal Declaration, an Emergency Action Plan, additional funding, a National Strategic Plan, a second accountability summit, legislative reforms and, ultimately, the classification of GBVF as a national disaster.

Yet the underlying crisis remains severe.

Government's own 2022 accountability summit acknowledged serious implementation shortcomings, while Parliament continued to identify forensic, investigative and service-delivery failures in 2025.

The question is therefore no longer whether government has recognised the crisis. It has. The question is whether the measures, resources and accountability mechanisms adopted since 2018 have produced the level of protection and measurable reduction in violence that South Africans were promised.

Despite numerous promises and countless assurances from our leaders, tangible action remains a distant hope. Unfortunately, this lax attitude cannot continue. The heartbreak and pain felt by families who've lost their loved ones in tragic acts of violence are a searing reminder that enough is enough.

Key officials who vowed to protect the vulnerable have become a symbol of inaction. We call for the immediate resignation of these ministers and senior officials, including the president Mr Cyril Ramaphosa who stands directly responsible for implementing and enforcing measures against GBVF. Their failure has not only endangered countless lives but has also eroded the trust we once had in our governing bodies.

Statistics and cases illustrate this failure loudly. In South Africa, a woman is murdered every three hours, according to the South African Police Service. These are not just numbers; they represent mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends whose lives were cruelly snatched away. Pledge after pledge has fallen through the cracks while victims and survivors cry out for justice and reform.

We are advocating for a systemic overhaul rooted in accountability and transparency. Officials must be held responsible for their inaction. This starts with new leadership: individuals who are both compassionate and proactive in their approach to implementing robust, community-based GBVF measures.

Our proposed solutions include:

1. Immediate resignation of current leadership to allow for reform-focused successors.
2. Establish a task force with survivor representation to guide policy changes in GBVF measures.
3. Allocate increased funding and resources directly to shelters and support services for survivors.
4. Comprehensive training for law enforcement and judicial bodies focused on GBVF sensitivity.

Join us in calling for urgent, bold, and decisive action. Our concerns extend beyond the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide. We believe the government has also failed South Africans in broader areas of governance, service delivery, accountability, public safety and the management of public resources. These failures affect the entire country and have contributed to a growing loss of trust in the government’s ability to protect its people and effectively deliver the services they depend on.

Our demand for change is therefore not only about the safety of women and children. It is about the responsibility of government to serve, protect and provide for all South Africans.

Your voice matters. Sign now and let this be the turning point for meaningful change in our society.