> There has been plenty of talk about this new council as a result of the National Council on Gender Based Violence and Femicide Act 9 of 2024 (“GBV Council Act”) that was recently signed into law by the President. Although it has not come into effect yet, it indicates the developments being made in respect of gender-based violence and femicide.

>   The GBV Council Act will establish a National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (“GBV Council”) to address and combat the issues specifically relating to gender-based violence and femicide.

>   The GBV Act defines femicide as “…the killing of a female person or a person on the basis of gender identity as a female, whether committed by a person within a domestic relationship interpersonal relationship or by any other person.”

>   The GBV Act also defines gender-based violence as “…violence associated with gender, which includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, economic, domestic, educational or psychological abuse or threats of such acts of abuse in public or private life.”

>   The GBV Council in terms of the GBV Act must create a plan to implement a national strategy addressing gender-based violence and femicide, and come up with measures for education and training concerning the prevention and combating of gender-based violence and femicide.

>   On 24 May 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa remarked that various efforts have already been put in place (such as strengthening laws around gender-based violence) that led to improvements in conviction rates and in stricter sentencing. The President went on to state:

“While this progress is welcome, our greatest task is to prevent gender-based violence from being perpetrated in the first place We are confident that this Council will provide much of what we need and will further strengthen the national effort to eradicate violence against women and children.”

>   In light of this, the GBV Council will aim to ensure measures are in place regarding the safety and protection of women and children in the country who fall victim to these crimes.