The Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has called on government departments to incorporate a plan aimed at tackling gender-based violence (GBV) into their annual performance plans.
The Minister said this when her department briefed Parliament’s multi-party women’s caucus on Thursday.
Nkoana-Mashabane said the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBV and femicide – approved by Cabinet in March this year – is still being developed and progress has been made in finalising it.
She said the plan sets out to provide a cohesive strategic framework to guide the national response to the gender-based violence crisis.
“The department has called on all government departments to integrate these NSP targets into our annual performance plans and their strategic plans, as they reprioritise their budgets due to COVID-19.
“We are committed to ensuring that departments remain gender sensitive, while implementing interventions in response to COVID-19,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
The Minister said the plan envisions a South Africa free from GBV and femicide directed at women, children and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied) persons.
To achieve this vision, South Africa will need to centre its efforts on bringing about specific changes around the six pillars of the plan.
This includes accountability, coordination and leadership; prevention and rebuilding social cohesion to try to stop violence before it happens, and a national drive towards shifting away from toxic masculinity; restoring women dignity and rebuilding a social fabric; sufficient and sensitive cardinal justice; adequate care for support and healing; building women’s economic power and better information management to inform action.
“To achieve this vision, South Africa will have to use its efforts to move forward with the implementation of the National Strategic Plan.
“The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, together with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, has developed a monitoring and evaluation implementation plan.
“As of 30 June 2020, we submit weekly progress reports, co-signed by government and civil society, to the President,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
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