The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes with extreme dismay the appointment of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) by the President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, upon recommendations received from Parliament.

Despite the Act establishing the Council, specifically stipulating that representatives from business and labour should be included in the Council, this was not done.  This is in spite of highly experienced gender rights activists from labour having been nominated to Parliament.  Worse, this failure to comply with the Act’s stipulation for labour and business representatives to be included in the Council was formally raised with Parliament with no response received from the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, who were tasked with this process.

Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is not a mere academic discussion.  It is the lived experience of the cashier at a supermarket harassed by customers, it is a daily abuse of cleaners fearing their own colleagues, it is the nightmare faced by young women across all workplaces told that they will only be appointed if they sleep with the boss.  Workplace GBVF trauma needs to be at the centre of the work of the Council. 

The Council needs the active collaboration of partners in organised labour and business if it is to achieve its important objectives and progressive mandate.  It is a tragedy that Parliament fumbled this critical but simple task, once again.

COSATU will be engaging the Presidency and Parliament’s Presiding Officers to request their intervention on this matter.  We cannot allow the state to bluetick its own legislation and their legally binding provisions.

Issued by COSATU

Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Mobile: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za