GBV crisis: Cyril calls in parliament
● MPs are expected to receive orders from President Cyril Ramaphosa this week on what legislation to prioritise in tackling gender-based violence.
He has called an emergency joint sitting of parliament’s two houses on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa said he was calling the sitting in terms of the constitution. Presidents call joint sittings only to address matters of national importance.
Thabo Mbeki called a sitting in 2005 to sack his deputy, Jacob Zuma.
Mbeki used the same platform two years later to pardon those convicted of crimes that had been considered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Ramaphosa’s convening of the two houses came as crime statistics released on Thursday showed that sexual crimes, largely committed against women and young girls, had increased by 4.6%.
Gender violence has come under scrutiny in the past several weeks following the rape and killing of University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana and revelations that in August alone at least 30 women had been murdered by their partners.
Ramaphosa abandoned a trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly to address parliament.
In his letter to the presiding officers of parliament, he said: “We all have a responsibility to ensure that these events become a turning point in our fight to end genderbased violence.”
It’s not clear what specific measures Ramaphosa will announce on Wednesday but he has made it clear that he wanted several laws, including those targeting sexual crimes, to be amended to ensure harsher sentences.
The president has also been under pressure from activists to declare a state of emergency to deal with violence against women and children.
A presidential insider said Ramaphosa wanted to brief parliament about his proposals on gender violence and the role that he expected MPs to play.