South Africa's Ramaphosa announces measures against gender-based violence

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced new measures to combat gender-based violence on Tuesday, after a series of murders sparked a national outcry. At least 11 women were killed in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, since mid-July. The discovery of their bodies has reignited alarm over persistently high levels of violence against women in the country, particularly after the 11th victim's body was discovered Sunday. The area remains on high alert while authorities investigate whether a serial killer or killers are responsible. "The nation is angry. The women of South Africa are angry. Their anger is justified. I share that anger," Ramaphosa said in a national address. Among the measures, Ramaphosa announced a crackdown on alcohol abuse and an audit of women's safety to be completed within 60 days. The audit requires local authorities across the country to identify dangerous and high-risk areas, including places with broken streetlights, abandoned buildings and poorly secured parks. Four people in custody Ramaphosa ordered police and the National Prosecuting Authority to review within 90 days unresolved cases involving murders, attempted murders, rapes and other gender-based violence cases, he said in a televised national address on Tuesday. The president also said a multidisciplinary, national-level emergency response was in place to investigate the Ekurhuleni murders, for which four people were in police custody. "There has understandably been widespread fear that the discovery of these women in close proximity could indicate the work of a single perpetrator," Ramaphosa said. "At present, the police have not found evidence establishing that these killings were committed by a single perpetrator." The latest body was found on Sunday in open veld. The day before a semi-naked woman's body was found near a cemetery in the same municipality. Many of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, with some stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault. 'Do much more' Even though gender-based violence had been declared a national disaster last year, the government had failed women, Ramaphosa said. "We must confront an uncomfortable truth. What we have done has not been enough. We need to do much more," he said. South Africa recorded 5,427 homicides from April to July, according to the country's official crime statistics. Its femicide rate is among the highest in the world, according to UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality.