READER LETTER | Action needed on femicide

The killing of women in Gauteng has again confronted SA with a reality we should never become accustomed to: women murdered, families shattered, and the country responding after the damage has been done.

Beyond the investigations into these murders lies a bigger question: how many more women must die before our response to gender-based violence becomes genuinely preventive rather than predominantly reactive?

SA has become accustomed to a tragic cycle. A woman is killed. Public outrage follows. Politicians issue statements. Police hold a briefing. Condolences are expressed. Promises are made. There are marches, campaigns and speeches. Then the news cycle moves on. The families do not. They live with the loss forever.

We cannot accept femicide as another unfortunate feature of South African life. We need action. Above all, these women need justice. — Thulani Dasa