A recent surge in the discovery of women's bodies in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, has brought the country's femicide crisis back into focus. By September 17, a ninth woman's body had been found in the area in approximately two months. The police are investigating each case to determine if they are connected. South Africa's femicide rate is approximately nine women per 100,000, around five times the global average.
Research indicates that many women are killed by intimate partners, while others are killed by men they do not know. In cases where the perpetrator is a stranger, responsibility for prevention shifts towards the systems around the victim, including visible policing, functioning public infrastructure, and effective investigation. The government and municipalities must create environments in which predators have fewer opportunities to act.
The author of a recent article, writing as a South African man and father, emphasizes that men must take responsibility for preventing femicide. He notes that not all men kill or abuse women, but men must become a greater part of preventing violence against women. Men should challenge other men who exhibit violent behavior and not allow friendship or family loyalty to shield perpetrators.
The author argues that prevention must begin with boys, teaching them that strength is not aggression and that women are not possessions. He emphasizes that it takes a village to raise a child, and that village cannot neglect its boys. Men who hold influence must act in government, business, communities, schools, and homes to help shape the boy before society is forced to confront the violent man.
The government has a responsibility to address the femicide crisis, which was formally classified as a national disaster in November 2025. Almost a year later, South Africans are entitled to ask what has materially changed. The government and municipalities must create environments in which predators have fewer opportunities to act, including providing sufficient policing and resources.
Accounts from women who say they have reported attempted abductions or frightening encounters, but felt their complaints were not pursued with the seriousness they deserved, must be properly examined. The police cannot afford to disregard credible information that could identify a potential predator. A report dismissed today may contain the warning that could save another woman's life tomorrow.
The author warns that South Africa cannot become numb to the cycle of femicide, with a woman disappearing, her photograph shared, her family pleading for help, and then the terrible announcement of her body being found. He emphasizes that femicide is not a women's problem, but a South African crisis that requires collective action to prevent.
Key points
- South Africa's femicide rate is approximately five times the global average.
- Men must take responsibility for preventing femicide and challenge other men who exhibit violent behavior.
- The government has a responsibility to address the femicide crisis, including providing sufficient policing and resources.
