LIFE SENTENCE — NO PAROLE — FOR FEMICIDE AND RAPE PERPETRATORS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Issue
TO: The Honourable President of South Africa, The Minister of Justice, and All Members of Parliament
We, the undersigned citizens of South Africa, stand together in grief, anger, and unbreakable resolve. Every single day, our sisters, daughters, mothers, and friends are being brutally murdered, raped, and violated. Femicide and gender-based violence have reached crisis levels in our country and yet, the punishment does not match the crime. Too many perpetrators walk free or receive sentences that are far too light. Too many families are left broken while the guilty get to live.
• Over 3,381 women were killed in one year alone — a 25% increase in femicide in just five years.
• An average of MORE THAN 100 RAPES ARE REPORTED EVERY SINGLE DAY across our country.
• In one recent quarter alone, 9,782 rapes were recorded — that is 109 women and children raped every day.
• Femicide rates in South Africa are FIVE TIMES HIGHER than the global average.
• Over 50,511 cases of gender-based violence and femicide were reported in one year — and NEARLY 20,000 of those cases did NOT even result in arrest or prosecution.
• More than HALF of all women in South Africa report having experienced gender-based violence.
• From the 14th of September 2026 there has been 7 female bodies found in Kempton Park
These are not just numbers, it is our people, so We are NOT asking for revenge. We are asking for justice. We are asking for punishment that reflects the severity of these crimes.
We demand that Parliament amend our laws so that:
1. Any person convicted of FEMICIDE — the intentional murder of a woman or girl on the basis of her gender receives a MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.
2. Any person convicted of RAPE or SEXUAL VIOLENCE receives a MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCE OF 25 YEARS, with NO BAIL and NO EARLY RELEASE for good behaviour.
3. All cases of femicide, rape, and gender-based violence are FAST-TRACKED in our courts. No more delays, no more postponements, justice must be served swiftly.
4. Convicted perpetrators are NEVER granted amnesty, parole, or early release — they must serve their full sentence.
This is not hatred. This is what justice looks like. When someone brutally takes a life or destroys a person's dignity, they must face the heaviest consequences our law allows. We must send a clear message that in South Africa, you do not get to hurt women and get away with it. We will not be silent. We will not look away. We demand justice for every victim, for every family, and for every woman still fighting to be safe in her own country.
51
The Issue
TO: The Honourable President of South Africa, The Minister of Justice, and All Members of Parliament
We, the undersigned citizens of South Africa, stand together in grief, anger, and unbreakable resolve. Every single day, our sisters, daughters, mothers, and friends are being brutally murdered, raped, and violated. Femicide and gender-based violence have reached crisis levels in our country and yet, the punishment does not match the crime. Too many perpetrators walk free or receive sentences that are far too light. Too many families are left broken while the guilty get to live.
• Over 3,381 women were killed in one year alone — a 25% increase in femicide in just five years.
• An average of MORE THAN 100 RAPES ARE REPORTED EVERY SINGLE DAY across our country.
• In one recent quarter alone, 9,782 rapes were recorded — that is 109 women and children raped every day.
• Femicide rates in South Africa are FIVE TIMES HIGHER than the global average.
• Over 50,511 cases of gender-based violence and femicide were reported in one year — and NEARLY 20,000 of those cases did NOT even result in arrest or prosecution.
• More than HALF of all women in South Africa report having experienced gender-based violence.
• From the 14th of September 2026 there has been 7 female bodies found in Kempton Park
These are not just numbers, it is our people, so We are NOT asking for revenge. We are asking for justice. We are asking for punishment that reflects the severity of these crimes.
We demand that Parliament amend our laws so that:
1. Any person convicted of FEMICIDE — the intentional murder of a woman or girl on the basis of her gender receives a MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.
2. Any person convicted of RAPE or SEXUAL VIOLENCE receives a MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCE OF 25 YEARS, with NO BAIL and NO EARLY RELEASE for good behaviour.
3. All cases of femicide, rape, and gender-based violence are FAST-TRACKED in our courts. No more delays, no more postponements, justice must be served swiftly.
4. Convicted perpetrators are NEVER granted amnesty, parole, or early release — they must serve their full sentence.
This is not hatred. This is what justice looks like. When someone brutally takes a life or destroys a person's dignity, they must face the heaviest consequences our law allows. We must send a clear message that in South Africa, you do not get to hurt women and get away with it. We will not be silent. We will not look away. We demand justice for every victim, for every family, and for every woman still fighting to be safe in her own country.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 15 September 2026