On 29 September 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed South Africa following the killing of women in Ekurhuleni and the continuing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide. The President acknowledged that, despite years of government interventions, what has been done has not been enough. He announced a series of measures with firm deadlines. Within 60 days, government is expected to review unresolved cases involving violence against women and children, develop a funded plan to tackle forensic backlogs, identify dangerous public spaces through municipal safety audits, and advance further measures aimed at reducing violence.
Those 60 days matter.
Free SA believes South Africans should have the opportunity to speak during this period — not only after government reports on its own performance. We want you to tell the President what you are experiencing, where you believe the system is failing, and what you expect government to have done by the end of these 60 days.
Your experience matters. Your expectations matter. And government should hear directly from the people whose safety depends on these institutions working.
Tell President Ramaphosa: What must change in the next 60 days?
Key concerns
South Africans have heard commitments on gender-based violence before. Seven years ago, President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the same crisis. In his latest address, he acknowledged that government has still not done enough.
Many of the measures now being demanded are also fundamental responsibilities of the state: investigating crimes properly, processing forensic evidence, ensuring cases do not stall unnecessarily, enforcing protection orders, maintaining safer public spaces and ensuring that people reporting abuse are treated properly.
The President has now attached deadlines to several of these commitments. Free SA believes those deadlines must mean something. Over the next 60 days, South Africans should be able to ask:
Are women experiencing meaningful change? Are cases being handled properly? Are forensic delays being addressed? Are dangerous public spaces being identified? Are police stations responding appropriately when people ask for help? And are the commitments announced by government translating into improvements people can actually see and experience?
Free SA is calling for transparent and measurable accountability against the commitments announced on 29 September. We want government to report clearly on what was promised, what has been completed, what remains outstanding and, where deadlines have not been met, why.
But accountability should not consist only of government reporting to itself. The experiences of ordinary South Africans must form part of the record. That is why Free SA is inviting people across the country to tell the President directly what they are experiencing and what they expect to see change.
When the 60-day deadline arrives on 28 November 2026, South Africans should be able to compare the commitments that were made with what has actually happened.
Use the form below to send your message to President Cyril Ramaphosa. You do not need to be an expert on policy or law. Tell the President what you see and experience in your community and what you believe government needs to address. You may want to raise your experience of reporting gender-based violence, policing, protection orders, forensic or court delays, unsafe streets or public spaces, public transport, municipal infrastructure, survivor support, or another issue that you believe government needs to address.
Most importantly, tell the President what you expect to have changed by the end of these 60 days. We will send an intermediary report to the president on 31.10.2026 and the final report on 28.11.2026. Your name and identity will obviously not be shared, feel free to raise your voice as you see fit.
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