Femicide crisis deepens as SAHRC condemns Ekurhuleni killings

A total of 569 women were killed and 1,052 survived attempted murder in South Africa between April and June 2026, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has said, as it condemned the deaths of eight women whose bodies were found in Ekurhuleni in recent months.

Police are investigating whether the deaths, which came to light between July and September, are connected, Simon Majadibodu reports for African News Agency.

The commission extended its condolences to the victims' families and said the pattern underscored a national emergency that has persisted despite years of warnings. “South Africa is not a safe place for women,” the SAHRC said.

The commission cited a warning from Justice Sisi Khampepe in the 2019 case of S v Tshabalala; Ntuli v S, which cautioned against the idea that perpetrators of sexual violence are strangers or outliers.

Those responsible are frequently known to their victims – fathers, brothers, partners, colleagues and friends – which the SAHRC said illustrates how deeply embedded gender-based violence is across South African society, making it an ongoing threat rather than an isolated danger.

The commission added that women continue to bear the burden of protecting themselves from this violence largely alone, and argued that responsibility for addressing it should not fall on women and girls to take extraordinary precautions in order to live ordinary lives.

Scale of the crisis

Alongside the femicide figures, the SAHRC reported that 8,814 rape cases were opened in South Africa in the first quarter of 2026. The commission also pointed to a separate report it published this year, examining sexual violence in schools, which found what it described as widespread and inconsistently addressed abuse of learners by educators, peers, staff and outside individuals, and called for stronger protective measures within the education system.

The commission said that despite President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2025 declaration of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster, the crisis continues to strip women of rights to life, safety, dignity and freedom guaranteed under the Constitution.

Joint inquiry and state response

The SAHRC, together with the Commission for Gender Equality and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, is to hold a joint national inquiry from 28 September to 2 October 2026 into how the criminal justice system handles GBVF cases, covering reporting, victim support, investigation, prosecution, sentencing and rehabilitation. The commission has invited public and civil society participation, saying broader input would help identify where the state's response continues to fall short.

The SAHRC also welcomed the establishment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in August 2026, and called for the council to be given adequate legal standing, structure and funding to respond effectively.

On municipal responsibility, the commission said local government has a role to play in reducing risk to women, pointing to basic safety measures such as maintaining open fields, clearing overgrown vegetation, rehabilitating abandoned buildings, keeping streetlights functional, and ensuring safe access to water and sanitation infrastructure.

Ekurhuleni investigations

Police have confirmed the arrest of one suspect and the identification of a second in connection with the deaths of the women found in the Ekurhuleni area, with the SAHRC describing this as a positive development while urging law enforcement to pursue all lines of inquiry to bring those responsible to justice.

The Democratic Alliance has offered a R500,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the case, announced by the party's Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, outside Kempton Park police station, where community members gathered in protest.

The South African Police Service has separately offered a R400,000 reward, announced by acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane, who appealed to the public and to families who may have missing relatives in the area to come forward. Investigations remain ongoing.