Programme Director
Councilors present
Partners and Stakeholders in the Victim Empowerment Environment
Colleagues;
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my distinct pleasure to address those who we have convened tonight to pay tribute and relay our gratitude for the sterling work they have been doing in our fight against the horrible practice of gender-based violence. At the same time, it is my displeasure to be standing here tonight to still be speaking on an issue that should have been buried with no postmortem necessary.

I want to, before I continue submit to you our distinguished guests and officials, the apology of MEC Vilakazi, who sincerely wanted to personally express her gratitude to you and also just to relay a word of encouragement to you. As you know this event has been postponed many times due to a hectic calendar of MEC. However MEC indicated that we cannot again postpone and that I please relay her apology and that we continue.

I stand here with the memory of a five-year-old child in Kenhardt whose mortal remains were found last year. As recent as a few days a woman was brutally killed in Delportshoop. I stand here with a pain shared by parents who have to bury their children, and children who grow up orphans as a result of deadly violence inflicted by one or more perpetrators on another.

I stand here alive to the reality that there are women- mothers- who inflict the most horrible acts of violence and great injustice to their own daughters. We have cases of mothers selling their children to grown men for as little as a few rands. The trauma inflicted on those children is irreparable. We will never be able to put them back together completely.  

And the sad reality is that it has become so normal in society that it does not even shake us. It is amazing that the Thabo Bester case can grab the headlines and can stimulate such debate and analysis, yet the loss of life of children at the hands of predators is business as usual. I suppose if one analyze the case of Bester and the Doctor, one would come to the conclusion that while she is or might be a perpetrator of crime, that she too just might be a victim of abuse and possible violence.

Ladies and gentlemen, I do noy have to read to you the statistics on the cases of violence, abuse and death that we know and hear of. It is a night for not really celebration, but more so for acknowledging the important role you all play in our fight against the shame South Africa is known for. Rape, murder, human trafficking, violence, drugs, alcohol abuse and general lawlessness places us right at the top of world countries with the highest incidences of these.
Ladies and gentlemen, every women, child and girl has the right to walk the streets safely and without fear. No man, no matter who he is or his standing in society has the right over the body of a woman or child. Similarly, so they have no claim to the innocence of young boys and insecure and vulnerable men. No matter what she is wearing, no matter where is she, no man has a right to go beyond the word “NO”. And we have to stop blaming the victims for these crimes.
There are many different forms of violence. All these types of violence can be – and almost always are – gendered in nature, because of how gendered power inequalities are entrenched in our society.
GBV can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial or structural, and can be perpetrated by intimate partners, acquaintances, strangers and institutions. Most acts of interpersonal gender-based violence are committed by men against women, and the man perpetrating the violence is often known by the woman, such as a partner or family member [3].
Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
GBV is disproportionately directed against women and girls [4]. For this reason, you may find that some definitions use GBV and VAWG interchangeably, and in this article, we focus mainly on VAWG.
Violence against LGBTI people
However, it is possible for people of all genders to be subject to GBV. For example, GBV is often experienced by people who are seen as not conforming to their assigned gender roles, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex people.
Gender Based Violence and Femicide and violence meted out against the LGBTQIA+ community has the potential to destroy our societies. We must therefore all strive to change negative social norms and gender stereotypes must be challenged at all times.

On an individual level, GBV leads to psychological trauma, and can have psychological, behavioural and physical consequences for survivors. In many parts of the country, there is poor access to formal psychosocial or even medical support, which means that many survivors are unable to access the help they need. Families and loved ones of survivors can also experience indirect trauma, and many do not know how to provide effective support.
Specialists outline the following impacts of GBV and violence for South Africa as a society-
South African health care facilities – an estimated 1.75 million people annually seek health care for injuries resulting from violence
HIV – an estimated 16% of all HIV infections in women could be prevented if women did not experience domestic violence from their partners. Men who have been raped have a long term increased risk of acquiring HIV and are at risk of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide.
Reproductive health - women who have been raped are at risk of unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Mental health - over a third of women who have been raped develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which if untreated persists in the long term and depression, suicidality and substance abuse are common. Men who have been raped are at risk of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide.
Violence also has significant economic consequences. The high rate of GBV places a heavy burden on the health and criminal justice systems, as well as rendering many survivors unable to work or otherwise move freely in society.
So what do we do?
South Africa is a signatory to a number of international treaties on GBV, and strong legislative framework, for example the Domestic Violence Act (DVA) (1998), the Sexual Offences Act (2007) and the Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Human Persons (2013) Act” [22].
Response services aim to support and help survivors of violence in a variety of ways. Prevention initiatives look at how GBV can be prevented from happening.
Whilst international treaties and legislation is important it is not enough to end GBV and strengthen responses.
Addressing GBV is a complex issue requiring multi-faceted responses and commitment from all stakeholders, including government, civil society and other citizens. There is growing recognition in South Africa of the magnitude and impact of GBV and of the need to strengthen the response across sectors.
And that is why we are here tonight. To not only thank our partners and volunteers, but also to appeal for greater cooperation and commitment from all stakeholders and partners.
Ladies and gentlemen, the question therefore remains as to what therefore is the ideal response and what works

Broadly speaking, approaches to addressing GBV can be divided into response and prevention. Response services aim to support and help survivors of violence in a variety of ways (for instance medical help, psychosocial support, and shelter). Prevention initiatives look at how GBV can be prevented from happening. Response services can in turn contribute towards preventing violence from occurring or reoccurring.
Responses are important. Major strides are being made internationally on how to best respond and provide services for survivors of violence. The World Health Organization guidelines describe an appropriate health sector response to Violence Against Women – including providing post-rape care and training health professionals to provide these services.
WHO does not recommend routine case identification (or screening) in health services for VAW exposure, but stresses the importance of mental health services for victims of trauma.

Much of our effort in South Africa has been focused on response. However – our response efforts need to be supported and complemented by prevention programming and policy development. By addressing the underlying, interlinked causes of GBV, we can work towards preventing it from happening in the first place.
The economic empowerment of women remains a key priority of government, as it is considered a central tenet to ensuring a more equal society for all. Economic empowerment is one of the most powerful routes for women to achieve their potential and advance their rights. It promotes women's ability to reduce household poverty, hunger and food insecurity, as well as reducing the heightened levels of inequalities they face on a daily basis.

The fight against Gender Based Violence and femicide is one of the key priorities of Government and receives the necessary attention at the highest level to make meaningful impact on our efforts to fight this menace and shame to our country.
The Northern Cape Province held a two-day GBVF Summit on the 28 and 29 September 2022. The summit was a build up to the Presidential summit 2 that was convened on the 1 and 2 November 2022 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand under the “Theme: Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification Now!

As government we remain committed to strengthen partnerships and collaboration with NGOs, community-based organizations, civil society, community leaders and faith-based organizations in ensuring the best interests of women and children and in making everyday a safe and violence-free day.

Tonight is especially set out as I said for you. It is to say thank you and also to invite you to speak up. Many here gathered here tasked with fighting this great injustice against the human race might be facing the very same treatment at home and in the community. GBV in all its forms does not discriminate against class, race and social standing. It is time we speak up and become part of the solution and not conceal it. It is only when you are whole and content can you heal others.

Let us all work together to realize our vision of creating a caring society together.

Please enjoy this evening with us and may God bless you and watch over you as you selflessly commit to help the most vulnerable in society.

Thank you