By Thabo Mosia
Johannesburg – The Congress of South African Trade Unions has expressed extreme dismay at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appointment of members to the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, saying the process ignored clear legal requirements for the inclusion of labour and business representatives.
COSATU noted that the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act of 2024 specifically calls for representatives from business and labour to form part of the Council. This did not happen. Highly experienced gender rights activists from the labour movement had been nominated to Parliament, yet none were appointed. The federation said this failure was formally raised with the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, which handled the selection process, but no response was received.
Exclusion of Labour and Business Representatives
The Act establishes the Council as a statutory body to provide strategic leadership in eliminating gender-based violence and femicide. It must coordinate a multi-sectoral and inter-sectoral approach to implement the national strategy on GBVF at national, provincial and local levels. The Board is limited to no more than 15 members. Seven of these must come from civil society and the private sector. Civil society is defined in the law to include non-governmental organisations, labour, and structures that represent citizens’ interests in the field of gender-based violence and femicide. Government departments also nominate representatives of a certain rank.
President Ramaphosa appointed the members for a three-year term from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2029. Dr Ramalepe Lebogang Mathibe was designated chairperson and Ms Welheminah R. (Shoki) Tshabalala deputy chairperson. The other members are Ms Keitumetse Fatimata Moutloatse, Ms Caroline Peters, Dr Zubeda Dangor, Ms Vuyisiwe Numalo, Mr Anele Siswana and Mr TWM Limema.
COSATU argued that the absence of organised labour and business leaves a critical gap. “We cannot allow the state to bluetick its own legislation and their legally binding provisions,” the federation stated.
Workplace Gender-Based Violence Must Sit at the Centre
Gender-based violence and femicide is not an abstract issue, COSATU stressed. It is the lived reality of the cashier at a supermarket harassed by customers, the daily abuse faced by cleaners who fear their own colleagues, and the nightmare of young women across workplaces who are told they will only be appointed if they sleep with the boss.
Workplace trauma linked to GBVF needs to sit at the centre of the Council’s work. The federation said the Council requires the active collaboration of partners in organised labour and business if it is to meet its important objectives and progressive mandate. Without that partnership, the body risks falling short of the multi-sectoral approach the law itself demands.
Long Delays and a National Crisis
The Council’s establishment has been years in the making. The enabling Act was signed in 2024 after earlier commitments dating back to the 2018 Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Delays stretched through 2025 as concerns over funding, vetting and process arose in Parliament. President Ramaphosa himself previously expressed disappointment at the slow progress, noting that the Council was meant to drive down incidents of gender-based violence and that due processes had taken an inordinately long time.
Gender-based violence and femicide was later classified as a national disaster. This classification was intended to unlock stronger coordination, faster resource allocation, expanded survivor support, and better monitoring. The new Council is expected to build on that classification by challenging harmful attitudes, advancing women’s economic empowerment, strengthening law enforcement and scaling up survivor-centred services. Its term begins at the start of Women’s Month.
COSATU described Parliament’s handling of the simple but critical task of including labour and business as a tragedy. The federation said it will engage the Presidency and Parliament’s Presiding Officers to request intervention so that the legal requirements are met.
The Council is mandated to develop an action plan within six months of its establishment for implementing the national strategy. Whether it can deliver meaningful results without the full partnership of labour and business will now be closely watched by those who experience gender-based violence daily in homes, communities and workplaces across South Africa.
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Source: https://centralnews.co.za/cosatu-accuses-ramaphosa-and-parliament-of-blueticking-gbvf-legislation/