When the UN Sounds the Alarm, South Africa Has Already Failed Its Women
18 September 2026
For immediate release
MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, notes with sorrow and anger that it has taken a statement from the United Nations to underline what South African women already know: they are being killed with a frequency and impunity that shames this country. On 16 September, the UN in South Africa declared itself “deeply alarmed” by the killing of nine women in Ekurhuleni, extending condolences to the families and warning that these are not isolated tragedies but a reflection of persistent, deadly violence.
MISA shares that alarm, but we must be blunt. South Africa has plans. What it lacks is delivery. The National Strategic Plan on Gender‑Based Violence and Femicide 2020–2030 commits government, business and civil society to six pillars covering accountability, prevention, justice, response, economic empowerment and research. Women are not dying because we lack a framework. They are dying because that framework remains words on paper.
This week, Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga admitted that the national anti‑GBVF response strategy is “largely unfunded,” even as nine women were murdered in Ekurhuleni. Chronic underfunding cripples operational resources and leaves communities exposed. The mismatch between cases, convictions and police resources is stark. The National Prosecuting Authority reports a conviction rate of about 74 percent for cases that reach verdict, yet tens of thousands of criminal entries never make it that far. Police leadership highlights systemic investigative challenges: victims withdrawing charges under coercion, prolonged DNA backlogs, and inadequate training in handling evidence kits. Civil society groups point to a deficit of roughly 14,000 police officers and under‑resourced local stations, while the R1.6 billion budget allocation announced by the Police Ministry has not translated into visible protection on the ground.
“We are tired of statements. Now even the United Nations is issuing them while the community buries its sisters and daughters,” says Martlé Keyter, CEO of Operations at MISA. “Plans do not arrest killers. Councils do not patrol our streets. Resourced police, working courts and real convictions do. The state must stop talking and start delivering.”
MISA demands urgent, funded action. Press engagements will not stop the killing.
Issued by Sonja Carstens, Manager: MISA Media & Communication Department, on behalf of the Union. For media enquiries, contact Phakamile Hlubi‑Majola on 083 367 6417 or email [email protected].
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