By Marcus Moloko
Rise Mzansi has issued an appeal to employers across the country to adjust working hours for female staff in response to the recent discovery of eight murdered women in Ekurhuleni.
The party’s National Leader, Songezo Zibi MP, said the killings highlight an urgent need for collective action to safeguard women against gender-based violence and femicide.
Zibi described the murders as a terrifying reminder that South Africa remained “extraordinarily unsafe in general, and exceptionally unsafe for women facing the relentless threat of gender-based violence.”
Zibi made a direct call to employers, both commercial and domestic, to relax rigid work schedules and allow female employees to travel during daylight hours.
“Many women are forced to walk through dark, secluded, or isolated areas early in the morning or late at night. Protecting human life must take precedence over strict work schedules,” he said.
The Rise Mzansi leader urged communities, civil society, and businesses to provide immediate financial and emotional support to the families of the victims.
“These women leave behind children, partners, and dependents who now face unimaginable grief alongside sudden hardship. Our nation must rally behind them, and I commit our support to assisting affected households in any way possible,” he said.
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Zibi also pressed for police to share clear, actionable information with the public about the ongoing investigations. He warned that perpetrators of serial crimes often appear “normal, well-adjusted, or harmless within their communities,” making it difficult for citizens to identify danger.
“Empowered communities are essential partners in aiding police investigations and stopping perpetrators before more lives are lost,” he said.
While the party expressed condolences to the families and communities of the victims, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Women’s Caucus (MPWC) expressed concern over the discovery of several women’s bodies in and around Ekurhuleni.
While investigations continued, the caucus said women had the right to feel safe, be able to take a walk, go for a run, and move freely within communities without fear of violence or harm.
The MPWC called for swift responses to missing persons cases, stronger community policing initiatives, and closer collaboration between police, municipalities, civil society and communities to improve the safety of women.
