This week police also asked the public for help identifying another woman whose body was found nearby. They were daughters, mothers, sisters, and colleagues. Our thoughts are with their families and with communities across Gauteng who are living with understandable fear.

These horrific murders are being uncovered in Gauteng as CSVR prepares to hold the Fourth Southern Africa GBV Prevention Forum, on 7 – 8 October 2026, under the theme "From Rhetoric to Implementation." As the details of the murders start to become clear, and the police indicate that there is a possible serial killer stalking women in Gauteng, we are reminded, yet again, of why this Forum is needed and why it needs to be different from the previous three. As women are reminded to be 'careful' 'diligent' and 'aware of our surroundings' to not walk, run, or drive in areas not known to us or known to be 'unsafe', we note that there is no place in South Africa where women are safe. We look at policy and law to protect us, but the scourge of GBV and femicide haunts us daily.

South Africa and the region are not short on laws or strategies for gender-based violence. What's missing is the ordinary, funded, day-to-day follow-through that would let a woman get home safely, or be found quickly if she goes missing, instead of turning up weeks later as an unidentified body a forensics unit is trying to put a name to.

CSVR's own research backs this up. A report we published in July, Justice Denied, Silence Maintained, was based on community dialogues in Diepsloot, Alexandra, Tembisa, Orange Farm and Soweto. It found that women who do come forward after violence are often met with disbelief and poor case handling by the institutions meant to help them. One national study of nearly 4,000 rape cases found prosecutors declined to proceed with 31% of them, and only 9% ended in a conviction. A separate Amnesty International survey found 81% of survivors were never told how their case was progressing. None of what's happening in Ekurhuleni is happening in a vacuum. It's happening inside a system that already struggles to follow through even once a case is opened. The full report is on csvr.org.za.

A few things need to happen: SAPS and the Gauteng authorities need to properly resource the Ekurhuleni investigation, keep affected families informed, and treat identifying these women as urgent; police leadership should commit to regular, direct briefings for affected families, not statements filtered through media coverage, and should be transparent with the

public about what resourcing the investigation has, to ensure accountability. Governments across the region need to fund prevention, not just crisis response, they should weigh prevention funding of shelters, early intervention, community-based services alongside crisis response, rather than as a secondary priority. Evidence suggests prevention is more cost-effective over time, and funding it at a scale that matches the problem would strengthen the response before cases like this occur, not just after. Donors reconsidering gender funding need to think hard about what that retreat costs; they should be funding more shelters, prevention programmes, and support services. And communities, media and civil society need to keep the pressure on long after this case stops making headlines.

The Forum itself will bring together government officials, regional bodies, civil society, survivors and youth leaders from ten countries this year (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe), with the goal of walking away with actual commitments and timelines, not just another round of dialogue. What's happening in Ekurhuleni this week won't be a side note. It will be part of the conversation in the room.

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END

For media queries, contact:

Naledi Joyi

Gender Officer

njoyi@csvr.org.za

+27 69 924 6771

Ms Yates' extensive legal career spans strategic litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and policy reform. She has led key structural design frameworks for the South African Department of Land Affairs, advocating for marginalised communities, women's land rights, and disability integration.  She has served as gender justice coordinator with Oxfam in Tanzania, the South African government, and Nkuzi Development Association, a South African land organisation focusing specifically on farm workers, land rights, and land reform.

Ms Yates steps into the role at a pivotal moment for CSVR, as the organisation implements its 2025–2029 five-year strategy. Marking 37 years since its founding, CSVR has set out an ambitious agenda built around five strategic objectives: deepening the integration of transitional justice and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS); advancing African thought leadership so that solutions developed on the continent help shape global discourse; expanding access to reparations and healing for victims and survivors of human rights violations; strengthening accountability through active citizenry and responsive institutions; and building a more effective, efficient and sustainable organisation.

The strategy responds to a global context marked by democratic backsliding, rising authoritarianism, gender-based violence and femicide, climate-linked conflict, shrinking civic space and growing distrust fuelled by misinformation. Against this backdrop, CSVR intends to strengthen its strategic objectives, grow partnerships across the continent and globally, and continue building the organisation's long-term sustainability through diversified funding, institutional memory and investment in staff wellbeing. Ms Yates will play a central role in steering this agenda.

Ms Yates noted upon her appointment that "I am looking forward to taking on this exciting new challenge, working with the staff and Board of CSVR to ensure that the organisation continues to deliver the highest quality research, evidence-based policy inputs, community engagement, and transitional justice leadership in areas where violence has left legacies of stagnation and instability."

The CSVR Board of Directors looks forward to Ms Yates' leadership as the organisation continues to advance violence prevention and reconciliation in Africa and beyond.

Sincerely,
Tefo Raditapole
Chair of the Board

En outre, ce manuel est un guide sur la manière de concevoir des programmes axés sur les jeunes, et comprend des concepts de base et des thèmes clés qui devraient généralement être considérés lors de la conception et de la facilitation d'une formation dispensée aux jeunes sur la SMSPS et la PJTUA.

This manual does not include a comprehensive account of all MHPSS challenges and appropriate interventions. CSOs should aim to adapt the manual to their specific contexts to ensure that programmes are appropriate and meaningful to their intended community.

The manual provides guidance on how to design programmes that are youth focused, and includes basic concepts and key themes that should typically be considered when designing and facilitating training with youth on MHPSS and the AUTJP.

The Forum revealed both progress and persistent challenges in addressing GBV. Discussions highlighted systemic drivers such as patriarchy, harmful cultural norms, economic dependency, digital exclusion and weak implementation of existing policies. Participants underscored the need to shift from crisis response to prevention, to strengthen survivor-centred justice and to expand inclusive approaches that recognise the intersecting vulnerabilities of women, youth, LGBTQIA+ persons, people with disabilities and rural communities.

Five thematic pillars guided deliberations: access to justice, education systems, overcoming funding gaps, technology and digital tools, and men as partners in prevention. Central to all these was the call for structural transformation, collective accountability and long-term investment in community-driven solutions. As one participant reflected: 'Behind every statistic is a shattered life; [hence] prevention should be on all our agendas.'

Good practices showcased during the Forum – from mobile courts and community paralegals to youth led advocacy, survivor networks, faith-based partnerships and innovative digital tools – illustrated what is possible when responses are inclusive, well resourced and locally owned. Participants agreed that stronger regional collaboration, flexible funding models and political will are essential to scale such innovations and close persistent gaps.

This report consolidates the key challenges, promising practices, and strategic recommendations from the Forum. It serves as both a record of collective insight and a roadmap for governments, civil society, donors, and communities to strengthen
prevention and response to GBV in Southern Africa.