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Millions spent on anti-illegal immigration protests, but not enough for GBV: Activist

todaySeptember 15, 2026 14

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Community members and gender-based violence activists have questioned the government’s priorities, asking how millions of rand can be spent on deploying security resources during anti-illegal immigration protests while the country’s GBV and femicide crisis remains under-resourced.

A visibly distraught GBV activist, Sihle Sibisi, has slammed government over what she describes as a failure to show the same urgency in tackling violence against women and girls.

Sibisi, from the Kwanele Foundation, says women are being failed by a system that continues to respond too slowly, despite the rising number of brutal killings.

The Kwanele Foundation founder was speaking in Kwa-Thema, where the body of a 35-year-old woman was discovered on Tuesday morning.

The latest killing comes amid growing concern following the discovery of five women’s bodies in and around Kempton Park and Olifantsfontein over the past two months.

Police say another body was found in Thembisa earlier this month, bringing the total number of bodies discovered across Ekurhuleni to seven.

Sibisi says the lack of resources for police, investigators and GBV support services has deepened the crisis, leaving women increasingly vulnerable.

“Where are they when they’re going to stand up and say we are now acting, we are putting these resources on the ground, we are finding these perpetrators. They’re not just being silent and keeping quiet because right now it’s the life of a South African.

“We South African women are not safe in our own country. Resources, there is no resources on the ground to amplify the cries of women on the ground, women who are constant victims of gender-based violence and femicide.”

Sibisi added that it took social media for the case of Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo to gain national attention, arguing that other cases only began receiving greater scrutiny once the case went viral.

“The very issue is our government is selfish, our government is horrible, our government is delusional, they are sitting in their glass houses, and our people are dying on a daily basis. This is something that we can’t turn a blind eye to.

“We cannot. We are tired. We are tired.”

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    Millions spent on anti-illegal immigration protests, but not enough for GBV: Activist Lindiwe Mpanza

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has called for the reinstatement of the death penalty.

“When women are raped, murdered and discarded with such cruelty, the country cannot continue pretending that the current punishment regime is sufficient. The ATM remains firm in its position that serial murder, rape and murder, and the deliberate taking of innocent life must attract the ultimate punishment.”

The party’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshonsa, says the burden of safety must shift from women to the State.

“Women cannot continue being told to change how they live, where they walk or how they move simply because violent criminals are allowed to operate with impunity. The criminals must be the ones living in fear of being hunted down, arrested and removed from our communities.”

The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) says women should not have to choose between freedom and survival.

MISA’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, says they demand properly resourced and intelligence-driven policing in Kempton Park and surrounding areas, as well ass swift action to establish whether these murders are linked.

“South Africa had lost the war against gender-based violence and femicide after Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia, released crime statistics showing that 11 532 sexual offences, including 9 201 rapes, were recorded in only three months.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that no stone will be left unturned in efforts to solve the recent killings of women in and around Kempton Park in Gauteng.

The President says the incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in communities, especially among women.

“Our law enforcement agencies are working urgently to establish the facts, keep communities safe and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.”

“I have spoken to the Minister of Police and the Acting National Police Commissioner, who have briefed me on the investigation. I have directed that these cases be prioritised and that no stone be left unturned in bringing those responsible to justice.”

Social media users have also reacted to the latest killings, with many expressing outrage and calling for urgent action to protect women.

Written by: Lindiwe Mpanza

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