Memorandum to the Station Commander at the Kempton Park Police Station

MEMORANDUM TO THE STATION COMMANDER

KEMPTON PARK POLICE STATION

Date: 28 September 2026

From: Abahlali baseMjondolo & Ekurhuleni Community

DEMAND FOR URGENT ACTION ON FEMICIDE IN EKURHULENI

TO: THE STATION COMMANDER

SAPS KEMPTON PARK AND EKURHULENI DISTRICT MANAGEMENT

We, the residents of Ekurhuleni, women, and members of Abahlali baseMjondolo, bring this memorandum with heavy hearts and deep anger.

Since July 2026, 11 women have been murdered in Ekurhuleni in GBV-related incidents. Many more have been raped, assaulted and threatened. Our communities live in fear. Women cannot walk at night, cannot work late shifts and cannot even sleep in our shacks without fear.

OUR COMPLAINTS AGAINST SAPS

•⁠ ⁠GBV cases are not taken seriously when opened. Victims are sent from pillar to post.

•⁠ ⁠Protection orders are not enforced.

•⁠ ⁠Dockets disappear and no feedback is given to families.

•⁠ ⁠Police response time in shack settlements is extremely slow.

•⁠ ⁠Women who report are not protected.

•⁠ ⁠Women who report are often not treated with dignity by the police.

Section 12 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to be free from violence. Section 205 says SAPS has the duty to prevent crime and protect inhabitants. The police in Ekurhuleni are failing in their duty.

OUR DEMANDS

We demand that within 7 days:

1.⁠ ⁠A public report be issued on the status of investigations into the 11 murders of women since July 2026 and presented at an open public meeting.

2.⁠ ⁠A well-funded and equipped women-led dedicated GBV Task Team be established for Ekurhuleni townships and shack settlements.

3.⁠ ⁠A 24-hour functional Victim Support Room be established at the Kempton Park Police Station with trained female officers.

4.⁠ ⁠Women-friendly patrols and visible policing in high-risk areas be conducted every day, with extra patrols at night and on weekends.

5.⁠ ⁠A full public audit of all GBV cases reported in Ekurhuleni since July 2026 be undertaken.

6.⁠ ⁠That an open public meeting be held with all interested women in Ekurhuleni at which the police must account for their failure to prevent GBV and femicide.

7.⁠ ⁠At this meeting a women’s committee must be elected. The police must report to this committee on all police work in relation to femicide and GBV every week.

We are not here to fight the police. We are here to fight crime with the police. But if police fail to protect us, we will have no choice but to take to the streets and to escalate to the Provincial Commissioner, IPID, and the Commission for Gender Equality.

We expect a written response to this memorandum by 5 October 2026.

Enough is enough! Stop killing women in Ekurhuleni!

Signed on behalf of the community