Cape Town's alarming femicide crisis: Five women killed in just four days

Five women were murdered in 96 hours in Cape Town, mainly as a result of gunfire. According to Gun Free SA, the latest femicide study shows that guns are now the leading weapon used to kill women, and the proportion of women shot and killed has reached the highest rate ever recorded in South Africa.

It said between 2016 and 2023, applications for new gun licences rose 58%—adding 162,000 licensed guns to homes.

One of the most horrific incidents was the shooting of two sisters, Gouwah Smith-Newman and Zainab Jacobs, allegedly at the hands of their own brother, Ederies Smith, outside of Portland Primary School in Mitchells Plain on November 6, involving an apparent custody dispute. Smith, together with his co-accused Nazmie Lekay, believed to be the “getaway driver,” made an appearance at the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on Monday and is due back in the dock on November 17 for their bail application.

Another incident is the murder of a 22-year-old woman inside her home in Echo Street in Fish Hoek on November 7, believed to be a home invasion incident. On the same day, Lisanda Sondlo’s family was left heartbroken after the 22-year-old mother from Delft South was killed for protection money.

On November 9, police were called to the scene in Site B Khayelitsha where the body of  Asiphe Hlekwani, 22-year-old woman was found, who had been raped and murdered. Police registered a further two murder dockets after two men, believed to be linked to her murder, were allegedly set alight during a mob justice incident.

The femicide comes just as the GBV advocacy organisation, Women For Change, has called for a nationwide movement, asking that profile pictures be turned to the colour purple. It is asking women to withdraw their power for fifteen minutes on November 21 at 12pm in solidarity.

Suzette Little, GOOD Deputy Secretary-General & City of Cape Town Councillor, said in just four days, five women were brutally murdered in Cape Town: “These are not isolated tragedies; they are part of a relentless pattern of violence that has become woven into the fabric of our society. South Africa has one of the world’s highest femicide rates, estimated at more than five times the global average. In 2023, an average of eleven women were murdered every single day.

“Where are the robust psycho-social support programmes in every community, the trauma counselling for children who witness violence, the economic empowerment initiatives that allow women to escape abusive partners?"

Claire Taylor, Research and Policy Analyst for Gun-Free SA, said firearms are now the leading cause behind women's deaths.

“Femicide studies by the Medical Research Council (MRC) consistently showed that whilst the number of women dying by gunshot was high, it wasn't increasing. But the latest femicide study from 2020/21 shows that guns are now the leading weapon used to kill women, and the proportion of women shot and killed has reached the highest rate ever recorded in South Africa.

“Between 2016 and 2023, applications for new gun licences rose 58%—adding 162,000 licensed guns to homes. This matters because guns are seven times more deadly than any other weapon. They're used to threaten, coerce, injure and kill—both inside and outside the home. Research shows women who are shot and killed usually have a history of abuse and threats—even if those threats didn't initially involve a gun.”

Anroux Marais, MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety in the province, said women remain among the most vulnerable citizens in our society when it comes to crime. “The proliferation of illegal firearms also contributes significantly to the scourge of violence against women, enabling perpetrators to commit more deadly acts."

Siya Monakali, of Ilitha Labantu, an organisation which advocates for the rights of women and children, said it was calling on all spheres of government to act with urgency. The killing of five women in four days must not be treated as an isolated event but as a signal of a deeper social crisis that demands sustained, evidence-based action.”

Lynn Philipps of the Cape Flats Safety Forum (CFSF) added that there was no urgency as women were being executed. “It is evident that we just became statistics on the Cape Flats as women; no urgency is being portrayed to bring those responsible for femicide to book."

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