By Africa Science News
“This cannot be accepted as a normal part of life in South Africa.” — President Cyril Ramaphosa, Address to the Nation on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, 29 September 2026
The discovery of the bodies of several women in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, has once again brought the devastating reality of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) into the public spotlight. The shock, grief and anger generated by these cases are understandable. But beyond the headlines lies a deeper and more persistent crisis—one that requires sustained action, evidence and accountability.
Gender-based violence does not begin when a case becomes national news. It often develops quietly within homes, intimate relationships, workplaces and communities. By the time violence becomes fatal, there may already have been warning signs, threats, abuse or patterns of control that went unnoticed, unreported or inadequately addressed.
This raises a fundamental question for policymakers, researchers and society: How can evidence, science and better systems help prevent violence before it escalates?
Moving beyond blaming women
Public discussions about GBVF too often place responsibility on women to avoid violence: Why was she there? Why was she alone? Why did she remain in the relationship?
Such questions shift attention away from perpetrators and from the social, cultural and institutional conditions that enable violence.
A prevention-focused approach requires society to examine the attitudes and behaviours that normalise control, entitlement, intimidation and violence against women. Everyday jokes, stereotypes and messages about masculinity can reinforce harmful ideas about relationships and gender roles. Boys and girls can absorb these messages from families, schools, media and communities long before they become adults.
Families therefore have a critical role. They can be spaces of safety and support, but they can also become environments where violence is hidden or normalised. Early education about respect, consent, equality and healthy relationships is consequently an important part of long-term prevention.
From constitutional rights to lived reality
South Africa’s Constitution guarantees equality, dignity, bodily and psychological integrity and freedom from violence. Yet the continuing prevalence of GBVF demonstrates the gap that can exist between constitutional protections and women’s everyday experiences.
Women should not have to carry the primary responsibility for avoiding violence. Nor should freedom of movement, participation in public life or personal choices be constrained by fear.
Men and boys must therefore be central to prevention efforts. Addressing GBVF requires challenging harmful constructions of masculinity, entitlement, dominance and control while promoting respectful and equitable relationships.
Accountability must be matched with survivor support
Effective investigation and prosecution of GBVF cases are essential. When perpetrators are not held accountable, impunity can reinforce the perception that violence carries little or no consequence.
But justice cannot end with conviction.
Survivors and affected families may require healthcare, psychosocial support, legal assistance, protection and economic support throughout and beyond the justice process. These services must be accessible, coordinated and adequately resourced.
South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on GBVF provides a framework built around six pillars: accountability and leadership; prevention; justice and protection; survivor support and healing; economic empowerment; and research and information.
The challenge now is implementation.
A national strategy cannot remain a policy document. Its success must ultimately be measured by whether it prevents violence, improves institutional responses, supports survivors and changes the conditions that allow GBVF to persist.
Science and evidence have a role to play
The GBVF crisis is not only a criminal justice issue. It is also a public health, social, economic, educational and governance challenge.
This makes research and evidence critical.
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) is seeking to contribute to this evidence base by bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders to examine the drivers of GBVF and the effectiveness of interventions.
Beyond the next headline
The Ekurhuleni killings demand thorough investigation, justice and remembrance. But they should not be treated as an isolated tragedy.
Across Africa, violence against women and girls takes place in many forms and settings, much of it outside public view. The cases that reach the media represent only a fraction of the wider reality.
The challenge, therefore, is not simply to prevent the next headline.
It is to confront the violence that is already taking place.
That requires governments to implement existing commitments, institutions to strengthen accountability, researchers to generate actionable evidence, communities to challenge harmful norms, and men and boys to become active participants in prevention.