The president on Tuesday said the violence that men perpetrate against women was a crisis for the entire nation, and that the country needed more shelters that could provide a place of safety for women in abusive situations.
CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said that the government was working to ensure that hotspots of gender-based violence (GBV) had shelters for survivors of abuse.
Ramaphosa answered questions during a sitting of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
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He said that the violence that men perpetrated against women was a crisis for the entire nation and that the country needed more shelters that could provide a place of safety for women in abusive situations.
“From an assessment from the current provision of shelters in all districts and metros, we found that while the country has 136 shelters, only 117 of these shelters have been established. Forty-five of our districts and metros have at least one shelter, while seven districts have no shelters whatsoever. This is a shortfall that we are now working on to correct,” he said.
The president said that every district in the country should have a place of safety for women and children.
“The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has allocated several properties across the country for use as shelters. These include four properties in the Tshwane metro, six properties in the Western Cape, and two in Johannesburg. Additional properties to be allocated for shelter purposes are being assessed in all other provinces,” Ramaphosa said.
WATCH: Ramaphosa answers questions in NCOP
