Newsroom

RELEASE DATE: 05 MARCH 2025

Last week (25 – 26 February 2025), over 40 local system leaders from municipalities and TVET colleges across South Africa were trained to organise, facilitate and support End Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) 100-Day Challenges in 2025. This training marks the first of five cohorts that will take on the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges – scaling up the movement from 137 End GBVF 100-Day Challenges in 2024 to over 200 in 2025.

The End GBVF 100-Day Challenges are locally led initiatives that drive rapid, results-oriented action within three critical ecosystems: courts, municipalities, TVET colleges and Universities. These multi-stakeholder teams – which can include (include but are not limited to) representatives from SAPS, NGOs, social workers, traditional councils, local government departments, and GBVF survivors – work towards bold, time-bound goals aligned with the National Strategic Plan on GBVF.

Highlight from past End GBVF 100-Day Challenges:

Over the past three years, the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges have catalysed real, measurable change:

• 2022: 11 courts in South Africa reduced their backlogs of GBVF-related cases by 98%.
• 2023: In Frances Baard, the team focused on creating safer public spaces, leading to a 45.5% reduction in sexual offence cases.
• 2023: In Greater Tzaneen, GBVF case withdrawals dropped by 70%, while reporting increased by 37%.
• 2023: Seven new rapid response teams were launched in the Free State, and Mossel Bay established four new GBVF hotlines.
• 2024: 1,200 women participated in an economic empowerment initiative, with 60 women-led businesses securing funding and supply chain opportunities. Of 52 municipal contracts awarded, 39 went to women-owned businesses.
• 2024: Drakenstein Municipality trained 40 new student social workers and converted buildings into safe spaces for GBV victims.
• 2024: Waterberg District Municipality reached 5,900 people through awareness campaigns, contributing to a significant drop in GBV case withdrawal rates as survivors gained greater trust in the justice system.

Scaling Up South Africa’s Response to GBVF

South Africa remains in the grip of a GBVF crisis, with recent crime statistics revealing that over 53,000 sexual offences were reported in the 2023/24 period—equating to 145 incidents per day. Many suggest that the real figures are much higher due to underreporting. These statistics underscore the urgency of coordinated, high-impact interventions like the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges.

“The training that took place is the first step in equipping leaders to drive change in a fast-paced, results-driven environment,” says Nomgqibelo Mdlalose, Movement Navigator for the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges. “This initiative is about moving from intention to impact. With each Challenge, we are strengthening South Africa’s capacity to respond to GBVF in ways that are immediate, community-driven, and sustainable.”

A Growing, Multi-Sectoral Movement for Change

With over 200 End GBVF 100-Day Challenges planned for 2025, this initiative is rapidly expanding as one of the country’s largest and most action-oriented movements to end GBVF.

Court teams will focus on reducing case backlogs, lowering withdrawal rates, and accelerating case finalisation.

Municipal teams will create more safe spaces, enhance support services for survivors, empower women-led businesses, and reduce GBV incidents in high-risk areas.

TVET college teams will break the silence on GBV, increase survivor access to care and support, and drive deterrence on campuses by holding perpetrators accountable.

The momentum behind the End GBVF 100-Day Challenges continues to build, with growing support from the government, civil society, and the private sector. This movement proves that rapid, measurable change is possible – and that communities, when empowered, are at the forefront of ending GBVF in South Africa.

The training was done at Anglo American – Centre of Experiential Learning, which generously provided the participants with the venue, food and accommodation. 

Follow these important developments on the 100-Day Challenges social media pages:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endgbvf_100daychallenges/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gbvf100days 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/endgbvf100days