Advocate Lekgoa Mothibi: GBVF National Dialogue Session

Honourable Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi (in absentia),
Honourable Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Andries Nel (in absentia),
Representatives from the Ministry of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities,
Heads of Departments and Entities
Representatives from the Correctional Services,
Esteemed partners from Private Sector, International Organizations, civil society, traditional and faith-based leadership,
Fellow public servants, my colleagues, and all champions of justice,

Good morning.

It is both an honour and a solemn responsibility to welcome you to this National Dialogue on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, held under the powerful theme, "Prevent Today, Protect Tomorrow."

We extend our warm appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, whose recorded keynote message will be shared with us shortly, and to the Honourable Deputy Minister, who continues to lend strong leadership and support to the sector despite their absence from today's proceedings. The couldn't be with our due to an urgent commitment with Judiciary.

Today, we gather not merely to discuss a crisis, but to confront a national moral emergency, one that has scarred families, broken communities, and tested our collective conscience.

Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) is not only a crime; it is a betrayal of the promise of our democracy, the promise that every person, regardless of gender, or circumstance, deserves to live free from fear and free in dignity.
At the Special Investigating Unit, our work is anchored in justice, accountability, and integrity. Yet our mission extends beyond investigation, it is about ethical leadership and the protection of the vulnerable.

We recognize that corruption and GBVF are deeply inter-connected.
Corruption steals resources meant for survivor care, shelters, and justice support. It undermines service delivery, and creates an environment where violence and exploitation thrive unchecked.

When corruption takes root, it is women, children, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who suffer the most often unseen, unheard, and unprotected.

At G20, there were discussions around the need to improve understanding of how corruption can affect women and men differently and to continue to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, including by mainstreaming it in relevant legislation, policy development, research, projects and programmes, as appropriate and in accordance with the fundamental principles of their domestic laws while enhancing the participation of women in anti-corruption efforts and the sharing of good practices in this regard.

That is why, through the SIU Anti-Corruption and Cyber Academy, we are proud to champion a new national flagship initiative, the GBVF 1st Responder Programme.

This programme marks a decisive shift from reaction to readiness. It will train and accredit a new generation of GBVF first responders across communities, workplaces, and institutions to act swiftly, compassionately, and ethically within the first 24 hours of a crisis.

When a survivor calls for help, when a child trembles, when silence hangs heavy, South Africa must be ready to respond with competence, compassion, and care.

The theme "Prevent Today, Protect Tomorrow" calls on all of us to go beyond words and take collective action to prevent violence through readiness, integrity, and coordinated partnerships.

We must capacitate and strengthen the frontlines:
Our teachers, nurses, HR officers, social workers, NGOs', traditional leaders, police officers, and prosecutors the very individuals who meet survivors in their most vulnerable moments.

Through this national dialogue, let us ensure that:

• Prevention becomes a system, not a slogan.
• Protection becomes proactive, not reactive.
• Justice is never delayed, denied, or derailed by corruption or indifference.

Let this dialogue be more than an event, it must be a national call to action.

A call that declares with one voice:

"Not one more life lost. Not one more silence unanswered."

It is now my honour to introduce and invite the recorded keynote message from the Honourable Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, whose steadfast leadership continues to inspire our collective resolve in the fight against gender-based violence and corruption.

Please turn your attention to the screen.

Thank you.

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