South African government’s GBV plans may disappoint

Significance

Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly committed to increase funding to combat what he calls South Africa’s “second pandemic”, there is a lack of transparency in how the government disburses funds linked to its National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-based Violence and Femicide.

Impacts

• Civil society groups will increase pressure on the government to make expenditure on GBV programmes more transparent.
• A new private-sector fund to contribute to the NSP has received strong early support, but its management structure is opaque.
• High levels of GBV will not only have significant humanitarian and social costs but may deter much-needed foreign investment.