The recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni, particularly the disturbing cases in Kempton Park, have once again left our nation in mourning. Families are grieving, communities are fearful, and women continue to face the threat of violence in their everyday lives.
President Cyril Ramaphosa must declare a State of Emergency on gender-based violence and femicide. Declaring GBV a national crisis has not delivered the results our people desperately need. We cannot continue issuing statements of condemnation while women lose their lives.
As a husband and father living with three women, my wife and two daughters, this crisis is deeply personal. Every morning, when they leave for school or work, I wonder whether they will return home safely. No family should have to live with such fear. No woman should have to worry about her safety simply because she is going about her daily life.
Mr President, this requires more than another promise. A State of Emergency must bring decisive, coordinated action, properly resourced law enforcement, effective investigations, accountability for perpetrators and meaningful protection for women.
To the families who have lost their loved ones in Ekurhuleni, we share your grief. These women were more than statistics. They were daughters, mothers, sisters and friends whose lives mattered.
South Africa cannot afford to treat these killings as business as usual. The time for stronger action is now.
Mr President, declare a State of Emergency on GBV. Our women deserve to live, not merely to be mourned.
