'Mr. President, GBVF is not a national crisis, it is a national disaster!' - Hulisani Ravele calls out Ramaphosa's "crisis" declaration

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Johannesburg - Radio and TV personality Hulisani Ravele has called out President Cyril Ramaphosa's declaration of Gender-Based-Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a "national crisis" as not good enough.

The President declared GBVF as a national crisis, last night, during his closing remarks speech at the G20 Social Summit in Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

As the country - and neighbouring countries in solidarity - prepare for the G20 Women's Shutdown today, she took to social media to express herself after the fact.

"Mr. President, Cyril Ramaphosa, Gender-Based-Violence and Femicide in our country is not a national crisis, it is a national disaster," she said.

"Name it as such. Treat as such. Let it sit with the NDMC (National Disaster Management Centre) as any other disaster would. Assign the budget, develop a real plan, put the KPIs in place, measure it. Anything less than that is PR (Public Relations)," said the broadcaster.

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Ramaphosa made the remarks after growing public concerns from the public, spearheaded by the Women For Change (WFC) organisation - which is behind today's G20 Women's Shutdown campaign.

"The women in our country are crying out that they need much more focus on the issue of gender-based violence. They need protection. They need support, and they need assistance, largely from their government but also from the men of South Africa.

"It is for this reason that we’ve said we, in recognising the plight of our women, are now going to classify GBVF as a national crisis. A crisis that needs to be addressed," said the president during his speech.

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Today at 12 pm thousands of women and LGBTQIA+ community members are expected to hold a silent nationwide 15-minute lie-down. Dressed in black, to honour the lives of the 15 women murdered every single day in the country. 

"On Friday, 21st of November, at 12 pm, women, children and members of the LGBTQIA+ community across South Africa will gather in towns, cities and communities for a silent nationwide 15-minute lie-down. Dressed in black, to honour the lives of the 15 women murdered every single day. A moment of unity, grief and collective power to demonstrate that, enough is enough," said the Women For Change organisation.

Also Read: 'The South African government is failing to respond with urgency!' - Women For Change ahead of G20 Women's Shutdown