The persistent and structural crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa necessitates an analytical hermeneutic that decisively anchors its genesis within the enduring colonial matrix of power (colonialidad del poder), Foucauldian modalities of power/knowledge, and spatialized dispositifs of oppression and resistance. This colonial matrix establishes and sustains the racialised and patriarchal hierarchies that subsequently consign specific subjectivities and corporeal realities, particularly those of Black women, queer, and trans persons, to the necropolitical calculus and the status of social death…

Action Society has released a new research report detailing the scale and impact of violence against children in South Africa, warning that the country is failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens despite repeated national awareness campaigns. The report titled The Crisis of Crime Against Children in South Africa: A Call for Accountability and Urgent Reform was published on Friday as South Africans across the country turned purple in support of the Women For Change initiative, which highlights the national…

Amnesty International South Africa has urged world leaders attending the G20 Summit to prioritise principled leadership and human rights in response to multiple global crises. The organisation highlighted ongoing conflicts, including the situation in Gaza and Sudan, alongside domestic challenges such as climate change and gender-based violence. “From embracing increasingly authoritarian practices to waging wars that devastate the lives of countless civilians, an alarming number of world leaders are dragging humanity down an extremely dangerous path,” said Shenilla Mohamed, Executive…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will officially relaunch the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre in KwaZulu-Natal next week, marking a major step forward in the province’s response to gender based violence and femicide. The new standalone facility at Madadeni Provincial Hospital is the tenth Thuthuzela Care Centre in the province and is designed to support survivors while strengthening the criminal justice system. The event will be officiated by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi and the National Director…

Taletso TVET College student leader Onalenna Molelekwa stood before more than one thousand students and told a story many in the hall recognised but few have ever had the courage to speak about. Her voice was steady but heavy with memory as she described the pain she has carried since her own experience of GBV, an experience that shaped the tone and emotion of the college’s GBV and femicide awareness launch in Lehurutshe, Zeerust. The event was supported by the…

As South Africa prepares to observe the annual 21 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Child Abuse, courts across the country have delivered heavy sentences to perpetrators of rape, murder, and abuse, reaffirming the justice system’s commitment to protecting women and children. In the North West, the Christiana Regional Court sentenced Boikanyo Seemohela (30) to 18 years in prison for raping his nine-year-old nephew in 2021. The incident occurred while Seemohela, the victim, and his mother were staying…

South African courts this week delivered a string of heavy sentences in cases involving rape, child abuse, and violent crimes against women and children, underscoring the judiciary’s growing intolerance of gender-based violence (GBV). In one of the most chilling cases, the Evander Magistrates’ Court in Mpumalanga on Wednesday sentenced 39-year-old Khutso Christopher Seopa to four life terms plus 45 years’ imprisonment. Seopa was convicted of raping four women, kidnapping two, and committing additional crimes, including robbery, unlawful possession of a…

Growing up, many boys are taught, directly or indirectly that a woman is like a child. Such teachings are part of the undocumented curriculum in initiation schools where men are taught that a woman must be protected, provided for, and guided. While on the surface this might sound like care or affection, beneath it lies a toxic message: that women are not fully autonomous adults. This flawed education quietly shapes the way many men interact with women throughout their lives,…

South African courts have in recent days handed down a series of notable convictions and heavy sentences in sexual offences cases, reflecting the country’s ongoing struggle against gender-based violence (GBV) and the justice system’s efforts to respond with severity. On Thursday, the Fraserburg Regional Court in the Northern Cape sentenced 37-year-old Dawid Bitterbos to four life terms for repeatedly raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter between 2017 and 2020. Bitterbos was convicted on four counts of rape of a minor under Section…

A chilling video shared on TikTok by a young man moments after he allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend has horrified South Africans and reignited debate on the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country. The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police in North West, Major General Patrick Asaneng, confirmed the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in the early hours of Friday, 22 August 2025, in Carousel View near Maubane. The man faces charges of murder and attempted murder after a deadly…