President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a direct call to South African men to take personal responsibility in ending the country’s persistent gender-based violence (GBV) crisis. Speaking during an address on 9 August 2026, the President urged men to abandon the “culture of silence” that frequently shields perpetrators within their own communities.
Holding Each Other Accountable
The President emphasised that the issue is not limited to domestic spaces but requires a societal shift in how men interact with and view women. He explicitly rejected the notion that violence against women is solely a matter for women to resolve or debate.
Men must take a stand. We cannot continue to be bystanders while our mothers, sisters, and daughters are subjected to violence. We must hold each other accountable.
Shifting From Policy To Practice
While the state has implemented the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, official statistics from the South African Police Service indicate that crime levels remain critically high across the country. Government initiatives are now increasingly focused on engaging men and boys to move beyond bureaucratic policies toward measurable behavioral change on the ground.
The fight against gender-based violence is not a women’s issue; it is a man’s issue. It is our responsibility to change the culture that enables this abuse.
We are currently monitoring upcoming community engagement programmes in Cape Town to see how these calls translate into local action. We will check with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on 12 August 2026 to see if new regional frameworks have been established to support this directive.