GBV crisis takes centre stage as Ramaphosa closes B20 summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa used the global stage at the closing of the Business 20 (B20) Summit in Sandton on Thursday to place gender-based violence at the centre of South Africa’s social and economic concerns.

Addressing business leaders, policymakers and international delegates before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Ramaphosa said no country can claim progress while women and girls continue to live under the threat of violence, and no economic plan can succeed if half the population is unsafe or silenced.

“No society can thrive for as long as gender-based violence and femicide continue, said the president.

“The violence perpetrated by men against women erodes the social fabric of nations. It imposes a heavy burden that constrains development and weakens inclusive growth.”

Ramaphosa reminded delegates that South Africa has declared GBV and femicide a national crisis, with the government, civil society and business agreeing that “extraordinary and concerted action” is needed.

He stressed that ending GBV requires changing societal norms and confronting power imbalances, saying men and boys must be part of the solution.

“They must be actively involved in challenging inherited attitudes, power imbalances and social structures that normalise violence and silence survivors,” said Ramaphosa.

While the B20 Summit focused on inclusive growth and global co-operation, Ramaphosa repeatedly linked economic progress to the protection and empowerment of women and children.

He warned that development could not be separated from the lived realities of the most vulnerable.

He highlighted calls from the G20 Social Summit for greater political commitment to women’s representation, investment in their health and wellbeing, and stronger global financing for initiatives that support women, children and adolescents.

“Thomas Sankara said there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women,” Ramaphosa noted. “We cannot build societies rooted in equality unless those societies uphold the rights of women and girls.”

The president paid tribute to civil society groups who shaped the G20 Social Summit discussions, including Women20 and youth and labour formations, saying their voices gave legitimacy and credibility to global decisions.

As the world prepares for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Ramaphosa urged global leaders to recognise that inclusive growth cannot exist where violence persists and that global co-operation must be rooted in dignity, equality and safety for all.

“No matter the headwinds. We will keep our eyes fixed on the horizon of progress and shared prosperity but we cannot get there while women and children continue to live in fear,” said Ramaphosa.

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