KwaZulu-Natal Premier Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli held a media briefing today, Monday 24 November 2025, at the Marine Building in Durban ahead of the national 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, which begins tomorrow and runs from 25 November to 10 December.
This year’s campaign is observed under the theme: “Letsema: Men, Women, Boys and Girls Working Together to End Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.”
During the briefing, Premier Ntuli highlighted the urgent and worsening crisis of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal. National research shows that three women are killed every day by an intimate partner, and an estimated 33.1 percent of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical violence in their lifetime.
In KwaZulu-Natal, rape cases have increased compared to the same period last year. Seven districts have reported a rise in sexual assaults against children under the age of 12. The districts of eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, and King Cetshwayo remain the highest GBV hotspots in the province.
Between July and September 2025 alone, 2 013 survivors sought assistance at Thuthuzela Care Centres, and in the previous quarter, 65 percent of all recorded GBV survivors were children. Premier Ntuli emphasised that these numbers represent real people, real families, and real suffering.
The Premier expressed the pain he endured when attending funerals of victims who lost their lives at the hands of people they trusted, including partners and employers. He applauded President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to declare Gender-Based Violence and Femicide a National Disaster, noting that this recognises the scale and severity of the crisis.
The provincial government reaffirmed its commitment to tackling GBV and Femicide through year-round interventions under the Silwisanane Chilo Campaign, which focuses on five pillars designed to strengthen prevention, protection, and accountability.
Across KwaZulu-Natal, the Provincial Gender Machinery is active in all districts, with GBVF activists deployed at 184 police stations to provide support, conduct follow-ups, and lead prevention programmes. Awareness and prevention campaigns have reached more than 39 000 community members, 62 859 learners, over 5 000 men, 606 traditional leaders, and more than 278 000 people through substance abuse prevention initiatives.
Victim support services are being expanded, with 21 shelters and 31 White Door Centres of Hope now operational. A new Khuseleka One Stop Centre has also opened in Zululand. During the last quarter alone, 25 976 survivors received psychosocial support.
The Silwisanane Chilo Campaign will be formally presented to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature tomorrow as a 365-day mobilisation effort to challenge harmful norms, hold perpetrators accountable, and empower communities to act against violence.
The five focus areas of the campaign are:
1. Protecting people living with disabilities who face disproportionate vulnerability to GBVF.
2. Citizen activation through sustained public education and community mobilisation.
3. Leveraging sport, arts, and culture as tools for prevention and social change.
4. Partnering with the taxi sector, faith-based communities, and traditional leaders to drive behavioural change.
5. Strengthening leadership partnerships by involving political leaders, councillors, traditional authorities, and the media to promote accurate messaging and accountability.
Premier Ntuli concluded by affirming that KwaZulu-Natal will not surrender to the scourge of GBV and Femicide. He pledged that the provincial government will continue to work hand in hand with communities to fight, expose, prevent, prosecute, and ultimately defeat violence against women and children.
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