The African National Congress Women’s League called on South Africa’s government to tighten parole regulations for gender-based violence offenders and impose minimum life sentences for convictions, saying progress in tackling abuse of women and children remains too slow.
The league made the demands during a media briefing on Sunday on the sidelines of the ruling party’s National Executive Committee meeting in Germiston, near Johannesburg, as public pressure mounts for stronger action against what President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as a national crisis.
Secretary-General Nokuthula Nqaba said gender-based violence and femicide remains a persistent challenge for government despite legislative reforms and policy initiatives over the past five years.
“We reiterate our call, as submitted in a comprehensive memorandum to both the Presidency and the National Assembly, which calls for the following: To speed up the process on the review of the Sexual Offences Act,” Nqaba said in a statement.
The league demanded that no bail be granted for gender-based violence and femicide offences, enhanced training for law enforcement officers, and minimum life sentences for those convicted of such crimes.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of gender-based violence. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 5,578 women and 1,656 children were killed, according to official statistics. Police recorded 13,453 sexual offences including 10,688 rapes between January and March 2025.
The Women’s League intervention comes as a national petition by advocacy group Women For Change calling for gender-based violence to be declared a national disaster surpassed one million signatures last week. The campaign has triggered widespread public demonstrations including a planned nationwide shutdown on Nov. 21.
The government signed the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act into law in May 2024, establishing a statutory body to coordinate multi-sector efforts to combat violence against women. The legislation came after a 2018 presidential summit and adoption of a 10-year National Strategic Plan on gender-based violence.
Critics say implementation has lagged despite the policy framework. The National Disaster Management Centre dismissed a plea to classify gender-based violence as a national disaster, saying existing legal frameworks already address the crisis.
The ANC National Executive Committee is meeting from Nov. 14-16 to discuss South Africa’s G20 engagement, national dialogue progress, and preparations for the party’s upcoming National General Council.
Government has established 134 gender-based violence desks at police stations in hotspots and operates 63 Thuthuzela Care Centres providing support to rape victims. The National Prosecuting Authority secured 3,697 convictions for sexual offences in 2024-25, with over 79 percent resulting in direct imprisonment.
The Women’s League said law must prioritize protection of gender-based violence victims and ensure the justice system delivers accountability for perpetrators.
