Department snubs Parliament meeting on GBV, and must be summoned to appear

27 November 2024

The DA has written to the Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, after the Department failed to appear before the Committee yesterday, snubbing the crucial work that the Committee should be doing. The Committee meeting was abandoned, at great cost, due to the Department's non-appearance.

Should the Department not heed the Committee Chairperson's request, we will escalate the matter to Parliament’s Chairperson of Committees, Cedrick Frolick, to intervene.

The Committee was meant to be briefed on establishment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, following the Act’s recent commencement, as well as the Department’s briefing on its 16 Day of Activism campaign.

The DA again calls for the immediate operationalisation of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence. It is unclear when the Council will commence with its work, showing the Department's lack of preparedness since the President assented to the legislation months ago. We intended to use the Committee meeting yesterday to pose questions on the Council, yet the Department left Members waiting with no explanation.

While between July and September, 957 women were murdered, with 1 567 attempts of murder on women, and a staggering 14 366 reported cases of assault (GBH), it is evident that the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is not part of the war against gender-based violence (GBV).

With over 300 children murdered over this period, including 490 reported attempts to murder children, and nearly 2 000 assault (GBH) cases it is unacceptable that the Department is snubbing Parliament. It is also utterly disrespectful to South Africans

The National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act is intended to provide a cross-departmental approach to solutions on GBV, involving in addition to WYPD, Police, Justice & Constitutional Development, the NPA, Social Development, Health, COGTA and Basic Education.

Coordinating strategies across these departments requires extensive work and the Department ought to have policy proposals already.

South Africa must adopt a systemic solution to the crisis of GBV, femicide and child violence, immediately and for 365 days of the year, and this cannot be hamstrung by an evasive and brazen Department.

Issued by Angel Khanyile, DA Spokesperson on Women, Youth & Persons with Disabilities, 27 November 2024