Speeches

Keynote address by the Hon Andries Nel, MP, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, at a Community Imbizo to combat Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, held at St Mark’s Primary School, Prince Alfred Hamlet, on Saturday 23 August 2025

Programme Director, various public representatives, distinguished guests, members of the Cape Winelands Women’s Movement, residents of Prince Alfred Hamlet and surrounding areas, stakeholders and officials, good morning to you all.

The Preamble to our Constitution tells us who we are as a nation.
It looks at our past and looks to our future.
It’s a promise that we made to ourselves, and to each other collectively, as a country, to protect freedom, dignity and peace.
Every time we read or hear the Preamble it should remind of us of this promise.
I therefore request that we all rise and recite the Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

“We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to ­-

• Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
• Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;
• Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
• Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.

 May God protect our people.
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso.
God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa.
Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika.”

August is Women’s Month. It is the month in which we pay tribute to the women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the pass laws and to hand over a petition to Prime Minister JG Strijdom.
They had made an appointment to hand the document over to Strijdom, but were then told that he could not see them. 
The women responded: “Wathint’ abafazi, Strijdom! wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo, uza kufa!”
We pay tribute to these women and to the generations of women who followed them, the women of today, who shape our nation, our families and our communities through their strength, wisdom, compassion and leadership.

The purpose of the imbizo
We are gathered here today in Prince Alfred Hamlet not just to speak about gender-based violence and femicide, but to confront it, to challenge it, and to change it.
Whether it’s domestic violence, emotional abuse, physical abuse, assault, sexual offences or murder, many women in our country have experienced gender-based violence.
These crimes are often committed by persons close to them.
These crimes are often under-reported.
These crimes are committed in our schools, in our homes, in our communities.
We must ask ourselves - what kind of society do we want to be? We cannot turn a blind eye, we need to rise to protect all in our country from gender-based violence.
Today’s Imbizo is a call to action. It is a space for empowering our communities, for healing, and for support.
You will notice that there are many different stakeholders and role-players here today – from the SAPS, the Department of Health, the National Prosecuting Authority and civil society, to name but a few.
These stakeholders are here to help and to support.
We must strengthen our community structures, empower our youth, and ensure that justice is not delayed or denied.

Prince Alfred and surrounding communities
Today’s event is a collaboration with the Cape Winelands Women’s Movement, a Non-Profit Organisation which seeks to empower women and marginalized communities, particularly those affected by GBVF, and persons with disabilities. 
They reached out to our department because Prince Alfred Hamlet and other surrounding towns have seen a high incidence of violence against women and children and femicide, particularly in the last two years.
We were was told of a 32-year-old woman who was attacked in Prince Alfred Hamlet by men known to her boyfriend. 
Last year, a 3-month-old baby was killed by the mother from Prince Alfred Hamlet, Another woman from Prince Alfred Hamlet was killed and buried in the perpetrator’s backyard.  
A 10-year-old boy was allegedly molested and a 16-year-old was gang-raped in Nduli location.  In 2023 a young woman was killed and then beheaded in Wolseley and her body burnt.

All matters of Prince Alfred are heard at the Ceres Magistrates court.
It is important to know how to go about to get a domestic violence protection order. 
A protection order is a document issued by the court which prevents the abuser from committing an act of domestic violence, enlisting the help of another person to commit any such act, and entering your residence and workplace. 
The abused person, or their children, their neighbours or another family member can all assist the victim by applying for a protection order on their behalf.
This is particularly helpful if the victim is unable or too afraid or incapacitated to apply themselves.
During 2024/2025 financial year, over a million new applications for protection orders were registered in our country, and out of these, some 162 576 new applications were registered in Western Cape.
This makes the Western Cape the province with the second highest number of protection order applications, after Gauteng.
Some 2356 protection orders were issued by the Ceres Magistrates Court.
These are not just numbers. They are lives. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, neighbours and friends – people who are fearing for their safety.
If someone violates a protection order it is a criminal offence in terms of the Domestic Violence Act. During the previous financial year, 2734 such cases were registered in the Western Cape.

Causes of domestic violence and GBVF
We know that domestic violence and gender-based violence and femicide does not happen in a vacuum.
Often what starts off as an argument is aggravated by alcohol or substance abuse.
Often domestic abuse starts as assault and then, over a period of time, can lead to femicide.
The form the abuse can take is not always physical only. Domestic violence can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, economic abuse and damage to property – to name but a few.
Economic abuse is when someone withholds money or resources which the complainant requires out of necessity, like household necessities or rent.
We know that some women are financially dependent on their husbands, fathers, partners, and family, and that this increases their exposure to domestic violence, rape, and even murder.
That is why many victims are reluctant to take action against the person who abuses or assaults them.  Even after complaints are filed with the police, many go back to withdraw the charges.
Many fear seeking help as it can increase the risk of more violent attacks and abuse.

What can be done to prevent and combat GBV
We’ve all seen the devastating impact of gender-based violence and femicide in our country.
We’ve seen the headlines and we’ve mourned the lives lost.
And we’ve asked, again and again: How do we stop this?
Every single one of us can help to prevent and combat gender-based violence and femicide in our families and in the community.
Firstly, we have to change the way we treat women in our homes and workplaces and look at how we raise our boys. We must raise our boys differently.
We must raise boys who understand that strength is not domination, but compassion.
That leadership is not control, but respect.
That love is never violent, and consent is never optional.

Too often, boys are taught to suppress emotion, to “man up,” to prove themselves through aggression.
This is all the more so, because of our country’s past.
We’ve come from years, or rather decades, of a violent past. Forms of dissent or disagreement would be resolved through sheer brute force.
This becomes the foundation of toxic masculinity. And toxic masculinity becomes the breeding ground for abuse.
Toxic masculinity and alcohol and substance abuse are deeply intertwined, often reinforcing each other in harmful ways.
When boys and men are taught to suppress emotions and equate strength with dominance, they’re left without healthy outlets for trauma or insecurity. Many turn to alcohol or drugs as a form of self-medication.

Secondly, we must encourage the reporting of gender-based violence through all relevant role players.
The Domestic Violence Act of 1998 imposes a mandatory reporting of domestic violence matters perpetrated against children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act of 2007 criminalises any failure to report any knowledge, reasonable belief or suspicion that a sexual offence has been committed against a vulnerable person, as defined by the Act.
When someone talks about abuse, be supportive and encourage them to go to a police station to open a case or to call the GBV Command Call Centre.
Victims of GBV need to know that help is available and that they can call the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre toll-free on 0800 428 428 for assistance. 
They can also contact the GBV Command Centre by way of a “please call me” at *120*7867# with a request that a social worker contact them. They can also sms the word “help” to 31531.

Government efforts to prevent GBVF and support services to victims
Government has passed three new laws to prevent and combat gender-based violence by, for example, tightening bail conditions for crimes like rape and domestic violence and allowing for online applications for protection orders.
It is important to know that there are many support services available.
We have information on these services and you will also hear from the stakeholders themselves later, in the panel discussion.
The National Prosecuting Authority, for example, will be able to tell you more about their Thuthuzela Care Centres and the services they offer to victims of gender-based violence. We are extremely proud to have 66 operational TCCs across the country.
The nearest Thuthuzela Care Centre is at the Worcester Hospital.
The Thuthuzela Care Centre model is designed to provide psycho-social, medical and legal services to victims of GBV.
It promotes the sharing of resources in government to achieve a coordinated, caring, responsive, agile and effective justice system.
We commend the invaluable support of the provincial departments of Health and Social Development, SAPS and others to ensuring that Thuthuzela Care Centres achieve their objectives.
The Thuthuzela Care Centre model represents home-grown international best practice. It has made significant inroads in making victims not only to see but feel that justice has been done.
The Thuthuzela Care Centre model represents not only a whole of government approach to combatting GBV, but a whole of society effort.
In a court judgment handed down earlier this week, two-life imprisonment sentences were handed down by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court when a 58-year-old man from Mamelodi East was convicted of two counts of rape of his neighbour’s 13-year-old son and his 9-year-old nephew.
The court ordered that his name entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, declared him unfit to work with children and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
Both victims received services from Mamelodi TCC, which provided them with ongoing support throughout the court process, reflecting its victim-centric approach.
This case encourages children to report abuse and urges families and communities to stay alert, report suspected cases, and support survivors through the TCCs.

Other institutions, like Legal Aid South Africa also offer invaluable services to women.
Legal Aid SA offers legal representation to the following priority groups: children; every detained person, including sentenced prisoners; women, particularly in divorces, maintenance, and domestic violence cases; and the landless, especially eviction cases.

Partnering with civil society
We are also partnering with civil society and NGOs when it comes to support services. Today’s event is a collaboration with the Cape Winelands Women’s Movement.
The Department has also partnered with FAMSA to assist the public here in Prince Alfred Hamlet. FAMSA is available at Op Die Berg police station on Wednesdays.  The FAMSA officials will assist complainants with the completion of the application form for protection orders, as well as bringing the applications to Ceres on the next day for consideration by court.  The complainants will be required to appear at the Ceres Magistrates Court, when notified to do so.
In dealing with family disputes that could potentially lead to domestic violence, the Department has further partnered with FAMSA to provide a social worker to assist with mediation between parties.  This mediation may also be done on Wednesdays at an office in the Op Die Berg police station.

Conclusion
We cannot stand by while violence against women and children is destroying our communities. Everyone here has a role to play. We must stand together to build a safe future for all.
We say it loud and clear: violence against women and children is unacceptable. We must strengthen our communities and ensure that the law is enforced. Silence is not the solution - action is necessary.

Let this Imbizo be remembered not just for its words, but for its impact.
Let it be the moment we chose courage over silence.
Together, we can end GBVF.
Together, we can build a South Africa where every person lives free from fear.

I thank you.