South Africa declares violence against women a national disaster

South Africa said on Friday the rate of violence against women in the country was a national disaster, as thousands protested to highlight the problem ahead of this weekend's G20 summit of world leaders.

The country has a femicide rate that is five times higher than the global average, according to UN Women.

Dozens of "lie-in" protests were held countrywide on Friday in what organisers said was meant to honour the 15 women murdered every day in South Africa.

The government's disaster management said that after evaluating the "persistent and immediate life-safety risks posed by ongoing acts of violence", it had concluded that GBVF met the "threshold of a potential disaster".

Government priority

This made the issue a priority for the executive branch of government and "all organs of state", it said.

More than 10,700 cases of sexual assault were reported to police in the first three months of 2025 but the real numbers are expected to be much higher.

“The women of our country are crying out that they need much more focus on the issue,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a G20 sideline summit for civil society this week, where he referred to gender-based violence as a national crisis.

Friday's protests was the culmination of a month of lobbying and pressure from the group asking the South African government to take action.