On Thursday,04 December 2025, Lesedi Local Municipality Speakers Forum commemorated 365 Days against the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide in Ratanda New Hall, Sedibeng Region. Women, children and people with disabilities continue to be victims of gender-based violence and killings. According to recently released quarterly crime statistics, focusing on first and second quarters of the current financial year (April 2025 – June 2025 and July 2025 – September 2025, contact sexual offences increased by 12.4% whilst attempted sexual offences rose by 8.8%.
Despite recently promulgated legislative interventions to curb GBV, number of reported cases is increasing at an alarming rate. Increasingly sexual contact and attempted sexual contact cases indicate that the scourge of gender-based violence has reached uncontrollable proportions. This may also seem to suggest that women experience sexual and attempted offences daily. Very disturbingly, a report commissioned by HSRC held that 33.1% of women 18 years and above have experienced physical violence in their lifetime, and mostly Black African Women.
Although men and women can be survivors/victims or perpetrators of gender-based violence, statistics reveal that majority of gender-based violence against women and girls is perpetrated by men and boys.
The session held that in our fight against GBV we need to bring along the boy child, Parents, SGBs and schools also have an important role to ensure that life orientation in and outside the school discourages gender-based violence but encourages protection of women and children.
Collectively, the session also held that we have a responsibility to continuously mobilise society to fight the scourge of GBVF, and to encourage cooperation with law enforcement agencies- SAPS, community-based organisations and government. Further, the session held that Department of Social Development need to ensure that more civic society organisations are established in Lesedi to assist government to fight the scourge of GBV. These organisations should mobilise our criminal justice system to tighten our laws and make it difficult to grant suspect of sexual offences bail and to also encourage the criminal justice system to enforce long sentences for offenders.
Equally, the session also implored the Mayor of the Sedibeng District to encourage municipal administration to encourage residents to submit gender responsive budget requirements aimed at assisting programmes to fight GBVF in Sedibeng District, during IDP processes.
The session vowed to not relent but continue mobilising society on awareness of scourge, provide prevention solutions, and strengthening victim support programmes. Key stakeholders such as Films Publications Board, Gender Based Violence Command Centre, and Commission on Gender Equality, are urged to prioritise residents of Lesedi Local Municipality in their respective programmes aimed at fighting the scourge of GBVF.
