President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 19:00 tonight on the government’s response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), as the discovery of an 11th woman’s body in Ekurhuleni has intensified public concern and demands for urgent action.
The timing of the President’s address could not be more significant.
The number of women whose bodies have been discovered in Ekurhuleni since July has now risen to 11, with the latest discovery reported in Springs.
The cases have sparked fear among women and renewed questions about whether investigators will be able to establish links between the killings. Police have, however, not confirmed that the cases are connected.
African Times News has been tracking the unfolding Ekurhuleni killings, with the number of women reported murdered in the area now standing at 11.
The latest developments have added urgency to Ramaphosa’s address, which the Presidency announced on Tuesday in a media statement.
The President is expected to outline the steps government is taking to confront the broader GBVF crisis and provide an update on the investigations into the deaths of women in and around Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa previously directed law-enforcement agencies to prioritise the investigations after the killings began generating widespread concern.
In a statement on 15 September, he said the incidents were causing fear and uncertainty, particularly among women, and said law-enforcement agencies were working urgently to establish the facts, keep communities safe and bring those responsible to justice.
Since then, the investigation has expanded as more bodies have been discovered.
The latest cases include the discovery of Ntombifuthu Nxumalo’s body at Mooifontein Cemetery in Tembisa and another unidentified woman found near a railway line in Springs.
Police have made arrests in some of the individual murder cases, but investigators have not established that the cases form part of a single pattern.
That distinction is likely to remain important tonight.
While the growing number of victims has fuelled speculation and fear, authorities have cautioned that investigators must establish the facts before connections between cases can be confirmed.
But for the families of the 11 women, the demand is immediate and straightforward: answers, accountability and justice.
The killings have also placed renewed pressure on the government’s broader response to GBVF.
Parliament has called for accelerated action, while communities have demanded greater transparency from law enforcement over the progress of the investigations.
