South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a nationwide clean-up of high-risk areas following the discovery of the bodies of 12 women in an area east of Johannesburg over a period of two months.
The deaths have triggered a national outcry over gender-based violence in South Africa, which continues to record high levels of violence against women and girls.
Ramaphosa announced a multidisciplinary national emergency response to the killings, with four people already arrested in connection with the deaths.
He ordered authorities to identify and address security risks, including broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured parks.
The President also announced measures to tackle alcohol-related violence, while stressing that alcohol cannot excuse gender-based violence and that responsibility lies with the perpetrator.
Ramaphosa said tackling the crisis requires more than policing and legislation, arguing that violence often begins with attitudes that treat women as inferior and normalize control and coercion.
He admitted that the government has not done enough in recent years to prevent gender-based violence and announced additional measures aimed at protecting women and girls.
Between April and June this year, 5,427 people were murdered in South Africa. While police statistics do not separate victims by gender, the South African Human Rights Commission says 569 women were killed and another 1,052 survived attempted murder during the same period.
