President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved three bills to become laws that the National Assembly considers as part of its legislative measures to strengthen South Africa’s response to rampant gender-based violence (GBV) in the country, APA learnt on Saturday.
The approved laws are Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act, and Domestic Violence Amendment Act, the Presidency said.
Signed on Friday, the three legislation were aimed at strengthening efforts to end GBVby promoting the victim-centred approach to combating criminal acts.
Ramaphosa said the legislation protected victims of GBV and made it more difficult for perpetrators to escape justice.
“It is a major step forward in our efforts against this epidemic and in placing the rights and needs of victims at the centre of our interventions,” he said.
He added: “Civil society’s demands from the gates of parliament were heard and listened to, and gave rise to our nation reaching a point where the demands of citizens are now cast in our law.”
Among other things, the laws expanded the scope of the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) to include the particulars of all sex offenders – and not only offences against children and people who are mentally disabled, the presidency said.
The laws also expanded the list of people who are to be protected, increased the periods for which a sex offender’s particulars must remain on the NRSO before they can be removed from the register; further regulated the granting and cancellation of bail; and added additional regulation of sentences of offences committed against vulnerable people, it said.
NM/jn/APA