South Africa establishes anti-violence council; Ramaphosa names seven board members for 20
Government establishes statutory body to coordinate national strategy on gender-based violence through 2029
South Africa’s newly constituted National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide begins a three-year operational mandate on August 1, 2026, backed by the statutory authority of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act of 2024. President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed seven members to the body, which will run through July 31, 2029, and carries formal responsibility for coordinating national strategy on gender-based violence and femicide across every tier of South African governance.
Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe has been designated Chairperson, with Welheminah R. Tshabalala (known as Shoki Tshabalala) serving as Deputy Chairperson. The remaining appointed members are Ms Keitumetse Fatimata Moutloatse, Ms Caroline Peters, Dr Zubeda Dangor, Ms Vuyisiwe Numalo, Mr Anele Siswana, and Mr TWM Limema. Both leadership designations were made under section 6(6)(a) of the 2024 Act, while the broader appointments rest on section 6(1)(a) and related provisions.
The Council’s remit is wide. It is tasked with providing strategic leadership on eliminating gender-based violence and femicide, and with coordinating multi-sectoral and inter-sectoral implementation of national strategy at national, provincial, and local levels, as well as within community forums. That institutional architecture reflects the government’s formal classification of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster, a designation that shapes the Council’s operational framework and policy priorities from day one.
The announcement coincided with the launch of South Africa’s 2026 Women’s Month campaign, held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday under the theme “Empowered Women Empower the Nation.” The launch event acknowledged women’s economic contributions to the country while documenting persistent structural barriers: limited access to finance, procurement opportunities, markets, information, technology, and business development support. Poverty, unemployment, unequal pay, and discrimination compound those constraints, creating overlapping barriers to economic participation and security.
By contrast, the Presidency’s statement on the Council frames its work as both cultural and institutional. The body is expected to leverage the national disaster classification to challenge harmful attitudes and practices, advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen law enforcement capacity, and scale up survivor-centered support mechanisms.
The appointment announcement does not specify Council members’ backgrounds, prior experience, or sectoral representation. The three-year term establishes a defined review cycle for the Council’s composition and performance, with the next appointment cycle commencing in August 2029. Whether that cycle will bring changes to the Council’s structure, or simply renew its mandate, remains an open question as the body moves into its first year of operation.
Q&A
When does the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide begin operations and for how long?
The Council begins its three-year operational mandate on August 1, 2026, running through July 31, 2029, under the statutory authority of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act of 2024.
Who leads the newly constituted Council and under what legal authority?
Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe serves as Chairperson and Welheminah R. Tshabalala (Shoki Tshabalala) as Deputy Chairperson, both appointed under section 6(6)(a) of the 2024 Act.
What is the Council's primary institutional responsibility?
The Council carries formal responsibility for coordinating national strategy on gender-based violence and femicide across every tier of South African governance, including national, provincial, local levels, and community forums.
What structural barriers to women's economic participation were highlighted during the Women's Month campaign launch?
The campaign documented limited access to finance, procurement opportunities, markets, information, technology, and business development support, compounded by poverty, unemployment, unequal pay, and discrimination.