GBV, femicide officially declared a national disaster
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs announced on Friday that gender-based violence and femicide have officially been designated as a national disaster.
The announcement came on the same day as the national shutdown, organised by Women for Change, in which South Africans were asked to lie down on the floor for 15 minutes to acknowledge every woman who is murdered each day in the country.
The declaration of GBVF as a national disaster was one of the campaign’s key demands.
ALSO READ: National Shutdown against GBV to go ahead despite Minister Chikunga's decision to withdraw
The Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Dr Bongani Sithole, made this decision in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act.
Cooperative Governance spokesperson Pearl Maseko-Binqose said the decision by the NDMC follows a thorough reassessment of previous reports and updated submissions from organs of state as well as civil society.
"After evaluating the persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence, the NDMC has concluded that GBVF now meets the threshold of a potential disaster as defined in the Act," said Maseko-Binqose.
According to Sections 23 and 26 of the Disaster Management Act, the National Executive is now primarily responsible for coordinating and managing the disaster.
Maseko-Binqose added that the classification calls on all organs of state to ensure that all necessary mechanisms are activated to enable the National Executive to manage the disaster effectively.
"Organs of state, the private sector, communities and individuals are urged to intensify their risk-reduction and prevention practices through the implementation of GBVF-related standards, procedures and legislative measures. Individuals are strongly encouraged to refrain from any acts of gender-based violence or femicide," she added.
"National, provincial, and municipal authorities are also advised, consistent with the Act, to implement multisectoral prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation plans to address the effects of this disaster holistically."
She said it is important to note that this classification does not invoke emergency powers, but rather it reinforces and strengthens systems that are already in place.
READ MORE
