South Africa launches safety crackdown after 12 women killed

By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 30, 2026

South Africa is launching a nationwide response to violence against women after 12 women were killed or found dead in Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas since July, prompting renewed concern over gender-based violence and femicide.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the measures in a national address on September 29, saying municipalities must begin identifying locations where women face heightened safety risks. The announcement followed the discovery of another woman’s body in Springs, east of Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa orders nationwide safety audits after women’s killings

Under the new measures, municipalities are expected to conduct women’s safety audits and identify problems including broken streetlights, abandoned buildings, overgrown public spaces, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured parks.

The government has also ordered a national case-recovery operation focusing on unresolved murders, attempted murders, rape and serious sexual offences involving women and children. Authorities have been given deadlines to identify stalled investigations and establish plans for progressing priority cases.

Ekurhuleni killings spark renewed concern over women’s safety

Police investigations into the deaths in Ekurhuleni remain ongoing. Authorities have cautioned against assuming that all the cases are connected. Earlier reports raised fears that a single perpetrator could be responsible, but police have said there is currently no evidence establishing that the killings were committed by one person.

Several arrests have been made in connection with some of the cases, although authorities have not established a link between those suspects and all of the deaths.

Women’s safety takes centre stage as South Africa responds to Ekurhuleni killings

The latest developments have renewed scrutiny of South Africa’s longstanding gender-based violence crisis. The South African government has previously classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster and has established measures aimed at improving prevention, policing, prosecution and support for survivors.

Ramaphosa also called for greater involvement by men and boys in efforts to prevent violence against women, arguing that women should not have to restrict their movements or change their daily lives because of the threat of violence.

The government says the latest interventions will combine policing, forensic work, municipal safety improvements and community-level prevention. A key focus will be determining why cases become stalled and improving the speed with which evidence and investigations are processed.

For families affected by the killings, however, the immediate priority remains finding answers and bringing those responsible to justice.