A joint inquiry by three Chapter 9 institutions could finally expose the systemic failures denying justice to survivors of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), according to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, which has promised rigid oversight of the inquiry.

This follows a landmark announcement by the Commission for Gender Equality, the South African Human Rights Commission, and the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission to launch a coordinated national investigation.

The organisations will scrutinise what they say is the justice system's ongoing inability to effectively respond to GBVF.

Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities chairperson Liezl van der Merwe labelled the initiative as long overdue.

"South Africa cannot afford a justice system that fails victims of gender-based violence and femicide. We expect this inquiry to identify the shortcomings that continue to undermine justice for survivors," she said.

The committee highlighted that survivors are routinely left without adequate support, and noted Parliament's previous statutory rape inquiry, which exposed deep-rooted flaws in the State's protective mechanisms.

Van der Merwe pointed to “chronic delays” in processing cases through the courts, mishandling and loss of crucial evidence and the insensitive treatment of survivors by officials, leading to re-victimisation.

The committee plans to maintain tight oversight to ensure the inquiry yields “real-world results rather than empty promises”.

The committee provisionally blocked out time in its fourth-term programme to receive the inquiry's initial findings.

Parliament intends to use regular engagements to force State institutions to translate recommendations into meaningful action.

Van der Merwe explained that the ultimate objective remains placing survivors at the centre of the justice ecosystem.