Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Friday, 13 November 2026, that the criminal justice system still has gaps in how it handles gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) cases.
Chikunga is the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She said problems with access to justice, case management, investigations and conviction rates still hurt survivors.
“These challenges are real, and government remains committed to addressing them decisively,” Chikunga said, according to SAnews.
She was speaking at a meeting with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). The meeting looked at Pillar 3 of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, which deals with justice, safety and protection.
The meeting followed a CGE study on problems under this pillar. The study looked at how GBVF cases are reported, investigated, prosecuted and sentenced, and how victims are supported.
Chikunga welcomed the work of the commission. This included a joint inquiry with the South African Human Rights Commission and the CRL Rights Commission. That inquiry held meetings in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
She said the findings gave government evidence of the problems faced by survivors and by the institutions meant to help them.
According to the minister, Pillar 3 had the best five-year results of the plan’s six pillars. She said 31 of its 54 targets were met, 14 are in progress and nine were not met.
Chikunga said 40 district courts were upgraded to better support survivors of domestic violence. She said 14 sexual offences courts were set up in the financial year that ended in March 2026.
The government said 338 testimony facilities are working. These allow survivors to give evidence remotely or in a protected space.
The minister said 153 847 clearance certificates from the National Register for Sex Offenders were issued over five years. Of these, 79 179 were issued by March 2026.
She said 221 prosecutors at the National Prosecuting Authority had finished GBVF training. The target was 800 prosecutors.
Between January and June 2026, another 1 185 law enforcement officers took part in GBV training programmes, she said.
But Chikunga warned that these steps have not yet led to fast results for survivors. She pointed to a growing backlog of sexual offences cases.
“Although system capacity has improved, timely, survivor-centred case outcomes remain the real test,” she said.
The minister said her department has set up more than 40 Rapid Response Teams in districts and municipalities. She said these teams help different services work together when GBVF incidents happen.
The department also placed technical monitors and data collectors, funded by the European Union, in provincial Offices of the Premiers. According to SAnews, a national dashboard now maps GBVF services across the country.
Through the 100-Day Challenges plan, between 46 and 50 municipalities in all nine provinces are taking part, the government said.
Chikunga said the next phase will focus on justice services built around survivors, better coordination, stronger data systems and accountability across government departments.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.