By Vuyokazi Yokwe, Legal Officer
As NACOSA sat at the launch of the Western Cape Provincial Gender Machinery – a coordinated provincial platform to strengthen gender mainstreaming, advance gender equality, and promote the empowerment of women, youth, and persons with disabilities across the Western Cape – a question was asked that NACOSA continues to ponder on: ‘What movements have we seen since the Presidential declaration of GBVF as a National Disaster?’
On 20 November 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) a national disaster, following a petition signed by over 1.1 million South Africans. Announced at the G20 Social Summit, this bold move invoked the Disaster Management Act (DMA) 57 of 2002, unlocking accelerated funding, interdepartmental coordination, and mechanisms to tackle GBVF as a national crisis.
The 2026 State of the Nation Address reinforced this commitment. The President highlighted that the disaster classification allows for coordinated national action, including the mobilisation of public and private resources. Initiatives like the Private-Sector GBVF Response Fund have since raised over R162 million, supporting more than 100 community organisations delivering legal aid, psychosocial support, and outreach programs for survivors.
But what has really filtered down to communities? The truth is harsh. Survivors continue to face overstretched Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC) and other post-violence care centres, understaffed clinics, and inconsistent police presence. Audits of centres like Sinawe TCC reveal missing intake forms, absent case manager databases, and weak protocols – gaps that directly affect access to healthcare, psychosocial support, and justice. As NACOSA is all too aware, the sudden cuts to foreign donor funding early in 2025 drastically increased the strain on community organisations providing services to survivors of violence and young women vulnerable to GBVF.
Data from NACOSA’s gender-based violence prevention and response programme shows how GBVF intersects with HIV vulnerability, demonstrating that delayed or inaccessible healthcare worsens both physical, psychological and social harm. NGOs remain the backbone of community-level support, yet chronic underfunding and overstretch limit their reach, leaving many survivors without timely intervention.
The declaration was historic, but in practice, it remains a promise waiting to be realised. For real impact, South Africa needs predictable funding, clear operational plans, and survivor-centred services. Until then, women and children continue to bear the brunt of GBVF, and the national disaster classification risks staying symbolic rather than lifesaving.
Watch: How strengthening community systems combats GBVF
