GBVF inquiry extended as survivors flood commissions with submissions

The Joint National Inquiry into the criminal justice system’s response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has been extended after what its three convening commissions describe as an overwhelming response to the public call for submissions.

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) said the volume of submissions reflected significant public interest in the Inquiry and a broad commitment to strengthening South Africa’s response to GBVF.

Submissions have come from victims and survivors, families, civil society and community-based organisations, researchers, legal practitioners, service providers, academics, institutions and members of the public, according to the commissions.

The Inquiry will now sit at Braampark Office Park in Braamfontein from 29 September to 2 October 2026. It will be conducted in phases, with the first phase focused on Stage 1, Survivor Testimony and Lived Experiences, and Stage 2, Pre-Trial Functioning and Accountability within the criminal justice system.

The commissions said the public participation process would provide an important opportunity for affected individuals and stakeholders to share their experiences, identify systemic challenges and contribute to recommendations aimed at improving the response to GBVF.

The Inquiry stems from persistent violence against women across the country and concerns about systemic shortcomings that continue to undermine the effectiveness of the criminal justice system’s response to GBVF. Despite various policy commitments and institutional mandates, the commissions said there was a need to examine the challenges within the system and identify areas requiring improvement.

It is established under the constitutional mandate of Chapter 9 institutions to promote, protect, monitor and assess the observance of constitutional rights, and to make recommendations aimed at strengthening accountability, equality, dignity and access to justice.

The commissions said the Inquiry is based on the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF), particularly Pillar 3, which seeks to strengthen the criminal justice system’s response through improved investigation, prosecution, survivor protection, integrated case management, institutional accountability and coordination between relevant state institutions.

“The National Joint Inquiry seeks to hold duty bearers accountable of issues, challenges and improvement that may be necessary to the justice system,” the commissions said.

This report is based on the official SAnews summary of the extension, which states the facts above without giving a submission count, a breakdown of submissions by category or a revised deadline for further submissions. The public record does not yet show how many submissions were received or how they will be processed.

Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), National GBVF inquiry extended after positive public response, https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/national-gbvf-inquiry-extended-after-positive-public-response