The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) expresses its deep disappointment and concern following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on 31 July 2026 of the appointment of members to the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NCGBVF), whose term of office commenced on 1 August 2026 and is expected to run until 31 July 2029 in terms of the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Act.
While SAFTU welcomes the formal establishment of this important statutory body, we are alarmed that organised labour has been completely excluded from the Council. This omission is not only disappointing but fundamentally undermines South Africa’s commitment to a whole-of-society approach in the fight against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
The exclusion of organised labour is a glaring oversight by the President. Trade unions represent millions of workers and are at the forefront of dealing with the devastating impact of GBVF in workplaces every single day. It is impossible to wage an effective war against GBVF while excluding one of the country’s principal social partners.
The workplace is one of the primary spaces where gender-based violence, harassment and exploitation occur. Women workers continue to face sexual harassment, intimidation, discrimination and abuse at the hands of employers, supervisors and colleagues.
Even more disturbing are the persistent reports of women being coerced into exchanging sexual favours for employment opportunities, promotions, contract renewals or favourable treatment. These are not isolated incidents, they are a brutal reality experienced by many working women across South Africa.
Trade unions are often the first institutions that victims turn to for assistance. Shop stewards and union officials assist survivors in reporting abuse, enforcing workplace policies, representing victims in disciplinary and legal processes, negotiating safer workplaces and ensuring employers comply with labour legislation and the Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace.
Equally, GBVF does not begin or end at the workplace. A worker who is abused at home does not simply leave that trauma behind when they report for duty. Victims carry the emotional, psychological and physical consequences of violence into the workplace, affecting their health, attendance, productivity and overall well-being. Likewise, workers who experience harassment and abuse in the workplace carry that trauma back into their homes and communities.
This is precisely why organised labour must be represented in every national effort to combat GBVF.
The National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide recognises that ending GBVF requires a coordinated response involving government, business, organised labour and civil society. The exclusion of organised labour from the National Council contradicts this very principle and weakens the institutional response to one of South Africa’s greatest social and economic crises.
SAFTU therefore calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently review the composition of the National Council and appoint representatives of organised labour without delay.
This is not about representation for its own sake. It is about ensuring that the lived experiences of millions of workers, particularly women workers, inform national policy, prevention strategies and victim-support programmes. Decisions affecting the world of work cannot be made without those who represent workers.
As South Africa continues to grapple with the scourge of GBVF, the voices of workers cannot be ignored. Organised labour has decades of experience in defending vulnerable workers, negotiating safer workplaces and exposing exploitation. To exclude that experience is to deny the Council one of the country’s most important partners in the struggle against violence.
SAFTU remains unwavering in its commitment to fighting Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in our homes, communities and workplaces. We will continue to campaign for workplaces that are free from violence, harassment, intimidation and exploitation, and we will continue to stand with every survivor whose dignity and rights have been violated.
The fight against GBVF cannot succeed if workers are left outside the room where decisions are made.
For media enquiries contact the National Spokesperson at
Newton Masuku
066 168 2157
newtonm@saftu.org.za
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
071 901 9564
