Ramaphosa vows to ‘pull out all stops’ to find Ekurhuleni murderers

African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to “pull out all stops” to find those responsible for the killings of women whose bodies have been found in Ekurhuleni, saying women should never have to live in fear of men.

“We will be pulling out all stops to find these perpetrators. And the message must also go to men. Men must continue respecting women, honouring women. The women of our country are the builders of the nation. They carry this nation on their shoulders,” Ramaphosa said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the ANC Veterans League golf fundraiser at the Country Club in Woodmead on Monday, in his first public appearance since announcing last week that he had been unwell.

His comments came as police arrested three suspects in connection with the death of the ninth woman, whose body was found beside the road last Thursday in Ekurhuleni.

A man and two women were arrested over the weekend by members of the Gauteng murder and robbery unit in connection with the death of this woman, whose body was discovered in Dawn Park. Police said she was found partially naked.

The three suspects were expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrates Court on Monday.

READ: Yusuf Abramjee | Seven bodies in Ekurhuleni: this is no time for complacency

The discovery of the bodies has sparked growing concern over the safety of women in the region, with Ramaphosa saying the developments had fuelled fear among women across the country.

“The women of South Africa should never have to live in fear of men,” he said.

The government has also escalated its response to the killings.

Government has brought out the big guns with Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo and Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi roped in to the operation.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (IMC on GBVF) met last Thursday to receive a briefing from NATJOINTS. The meeting followed Ramaphosa’s directive that the investigation into the killings receive the highest level of attention from government and law-enforcement agencies.

Ramaphosa said government would deploy more money, resources and technology to strengthen its response to gender-based violence and improve efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible.

“Gender-based violence is not only a problem for women, it’s a national crisis, and we need to be treating it with exactly that,” he said.

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Ramaphosa said the government’s inter-ministerial committee would introduce a number of initiatives to tackle the crisis.

He acknowledged shortcomings in government’s response, saying there would be “missteps” and areas where there had been neglect.

But he said the government remained committed to protecting women and ensuring their safety.

“I have always spoken against gender-based violence throughout the years and will continue spreading the message that as government of South Africa, we are committed to protecting women,” he said.

“We are committed to ensuring that the lives of our women are safe, and we will do everything we can.”