{
  "id": 10611412,
  "title": "GBVF inquiry lays bare cracks in justice system as survivors forced to ‘manage’ own cases",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/gbvf-inquiry-lays-bare-cracks-in-justice-system-as-survivors-forced",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T05:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/capeargus/news/2026-09-29-gbvf-inquiry-lays-bare-cracks-in-justice-system-as-survivors-forced-to-manage-own-cases/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A joint inquiry into South Africa's handling of gender-based violence and femicide has revealed significant shortcomings in the country's justice system. Survivors of GBVF are often compelled to take on the role of managing their own cases, said Thokozani Dladla, a legal officer for the Commission for Gender Equality. This involves tasks such as registering complaints, tracking docket movements, advocating for arrests, and ensuring court appearances are kept. Despite South Africa's robust legal framework, the reality on the ground is a stark contrast. Victims frequently find themselves pleading with police to register complaints, chasing down their docket status, and even pushing for arrests. In some cases, survivors have been forced to escalate stalled cases to higher levels of government themselves. The inquiry also highlighted the underreporting of crimes, with official statistics showing only a fraction of rapes, murders, and attempted murders being reported to authorities. This discrepancy raises concerns that the reported figures may not accurately reflect the true scale of violence in communities. Furthermore, the criminal justice system itself is fraught with issues. Police stations often fail to provide a safe environment for victims to disclose traumatic experiences. Thuthuzela Care Centres, designed to offer comprehensive support to survivors, are grappling with infrastructure and staffing shortages. Some facilities are housed in outdated buildings or temporary containers, and lack essential resources such as forensic nurses and case managers. The inquiry also pointed to systemic challenges such as DNA backlogs, court congestion, power outages, and faulty recording equipment, all of which contribute to prolonged delays in resolving cases. The situation is further complicated by insufficient staffing in various departments, including prosecutors, intermediaries, interpreters, and court administrators. Sithole, another legal officer present, emphasized the urgent need for systemic reforms. She stressed the importance of creating a justice system that is gender-responsive, victim-centric, and capable of delivering cases more efficiently. The inquiry aims to investigate the breakdowns in the justice process, from the initial reporting of an offence to the final stages of the legal process, and critically, why survivors bear so much of the burden in seeking justice.",
  "summary": "Survivors told a national inquiry they had to chase police, track dockets and push for arrests as failures across South Africa’s criminal justice system undermined access to justice.",
  "key_points": [
    "Survivors manage own GBVF cases, handling registration, arrests and court appearances",
    "Underreporting of crimes: only fraction of rapes, murders, attempted murders reported"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The GBVF inquiry's findings highlight a justice system in crisis, where survivors are shouldering an unsustainable burden, and underscore the need for systemic reforms to create a more victim-centric and efficient process.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}