Ramaphosa Five-Point Plan Violence Prevention Critique: Experts Find Gaps

• Recent discoveries of women's bodies in Ekurhuleni, including the murder of Elizabeth Moselakgomo, intensified focus on gender-based violence in South Africa.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced a four-point plan on September 29, 2026, to reduce violence against women in public spaces and address criminal justice bottlenecks.
• The plan has been critiqued for its silence on specific prevention strategies and how they will be resourced, advocating for a more holistic approach to violence prevention.
• Research indicates a strong correlation between male and female homicide rates in South Africa, suggesting that preventing all forms of interpersonal violence is crucial for women's safety.
• A comprehensive strategy requires addressing intergenerational violence, harmful gender norms, and risk factors like poor emotional regulation and lack of conflict resolution skills.

Focusing solely on gender-based violence, while necessary, may prove less effective than addressing the common underlying causes of all forms of interpersonal violence.

A series of horrific discoveries in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, has intensified national focus on gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. Between July 15 and September 28, at least ten women's bodies were found in the area, with the murder of Elizabeth Moselakgomo on September 9 further underscoring the pervasive crisis. These events prompted a swift government response, with President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiling a four-point plan on September 29, 2026.

President Ramaphosa's initiative aims to mitigate the risk of violence against women in public spaces and to streamline the criminal justice system to more effectively manage existing cases. While emphasizing the critical importance of violence prevention, the four-point plan, as presented, notably omits specific details regarding the implementation and resourcing of these preventative measures. This silence has drawn scrutiny, particularly given the urgent need for a robust and actionable strategy to tackle the nation's deeply entrenched violence.

Preventing violence against women is unequivocally a national priority, and evidence suggests that such efforts can also yield broader benefits by reducing other forms of violence across society. However, a truly comprehensive approach necessitates a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of various violent acts and their underlying causes, moving beyond a singular focus on gender-based violence.

The Ramaphosa four-point plan violence prevention critique centers on its perceived lack of depth regarding actual prevention strategies. While acknowledging the necessity of addressing violence against women, experts argue that a more impactful South Africa gender-based violence strategy must treat all forms of violence as unacceptable, including aggression between men. A critical component of this holistic violence prevention South Africa approach involves safeguarding children of all genders from exposure to violence, particularly within the home environment, and providing compassionate support when such exposure occurs.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is identified as a primary conduit through which violent behaviors are transmitted across generations. Children who experience or witness violence in their homes are at a heightened risk of becoming either perpetrators or victims of violence later in life, establishing difficult-to-break patterns. Furthermore, exposure to IPV has been shown to predict future criminal behavior. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy must address harmful societal beliefs and norms surrounding masculinity and violence, as these contribute significantly to men's violence against both women and other men.

Numerous risk factors contribute to the propensity for violence, including incomplete schooling, a deficit in non-violent conflict resolution skills, poor emotional regulation, mental health challenges, and substance abuse. The disproportionate perpetration of violence by men suggests that these factors are more prevalent within the male population. International data further supports the interconnectedness of violence, with the 2019 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime global homicide report indicating that countries with high rates of female homicide also tend to exhibit significantly higher rates of male homicide.

This correlation is mirrored in South Africa's national and provincial data. National figures reveal that over four out of every five murders in the country involve male victims. A 2023 analysis of South African post-mortem data further confirmed this pattern, showing that provinces with the highest male homicide rates also recorded the highest rates of female homicide. This strong correlation underscores that high levels of violence against adults often coincide with elevated rates of child victimization, perpetuating intergenerational cycles of violence within society.

A truly holistic violence prevention South Africa strategy is essential to break these cycles. Such a strategy would encompass inculcating non-violent, gender-equitable norms in children from an early age and supporting parents and caregivers through gender-transformative parenting programs. It would also focus on building conflict resolution skills in both children and adults, fostering better emotional regulation for parents and their offspring, and integrating physical safety enhancements, such as improved street lighting, which were mentioned in the President's plan.

Focusing solely on gender-based violence, while necessary, may prove less effective than addressing the common underlying causes of all forms of interpersonal violence. International evidence consistently suggests that for women to achieve true safety, the safety and well-being of children and men must also be prioritized. By tackling the broader societal factors that fuel violence, South Africa can develop a more robust and impactful response to its pervasive violence crisis, moving beyond the current limitations of the Ramaphosa four-point femicide prevention plan and the criminal justice system violence bottlenecks ZA.

Lawyers should note the critique of President Ramaphosa's five-point plan, which suggests that South Africa's current legal and policy framework for violence prevention may be insufficient. This signals a need to monitor for future comprehensive legislative reforms addressing underlying causes of violence and criminal justice system bottlenecks, which could impact client advisory, advocacy, or litigation strategies.

Source: Reporting based on recent analysis