Chikunga asks media, entertainment industries to help tackle GBVF  

By Charmaine Ndlela

Government asked the country’s media and entertainment industries to help tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism campaign in Johannesburg.

At the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga said South Africa had reached a turning point after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to classify GBVF as a national crisis.

She called on broadcasters, filmmakers, and advertisers to “rewrite the script” on violence against women and children.

“We gather here because GBVF has been recognised as a national crisis. The question before us is: what does this crisis look like in the lives of women, children and communities?” Chikunga asked.

According to advocacy group Women for Change, 5,578 women were murdered in South Africa in 2024 – a 33.8% increase in femicide compared with the previous year.