The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety invites members of the media to attend and cover a critical stakeholder engagement session on the compliance and implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 (Act No. 116 of 1998).
This engagement takes place against the backdrop of Gender‑Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) having been declared a National Disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa, underscoring the gravity, urgency and national priority of addressing violence against women and vulnerable persons.
The session will interrogate the extent to which the South African Police Service (SAPS) is complying with its legal obligations under the Domestic Violence Act, particularly in relation to the protection of victims, the quality and timeliness of police responses, and the handling of reported cases of domestic violence.
The Committee will engage a broad range of stakeholders with expertise and lived experience in the prevention of domestic violence, victim support and criminal justice reform.
Among those expected to participate are academics specialising in gender‑based violence and criminal justice, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), Sonke Gender Justice, as well as gender activists operating at community, advocacy and policy levels.
Their participation will enrich the discussion on the practical realities of enforcing the Domestic Violence Act, the lived experiences of victims when engaging with SAPS and the broader criminal justice system, as well as systemic weaknesses that may undermine the protections envisaged by the legislation.
Through this engagement, the Committee seeks to reaffirm that the protection of victims of domestic violence is non‑negotiable, that compliance with the Domestic Violence Act is both a legal and moral imperative, and that SAPS must be held accountable for the manner in which it discharges this responsibility particularly in a context where GBVF has been elevated to a national disaster.
Details of the stakeholder engagement session are as follows:
Date: Friday, 20 February 2026
Time: 9h30
Venue: Premier Hotel O.R. Tambo, Kempton Park
ISSUED BY GPL‘S MEDIA SERVICES ON BEHALF OF CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY, HONOURABLE BANDILE MASUKU
