One law at a time
"Pick the single most important, most measurable, most legislatable thing. Fund it. Fight for it. Win it. Then do the next one."
The advocacy plan identifies one statutory change per pillar. The Phase 3 goal (from March 2027) is a single binding amendment to the National Council on GBVF Act that makes all six changes enforceable through one vehicle. The Phase 1 and Phase 2 goals are about holding the president's own deadlines first.
Six pillars, six law changes
Each card shows the current legal gap, the specific statute to amend, and what the amendment would do. All proposals are drawn from the NSP Advocacy Plan and the primary sources it cites.
1
Pillar 1: Coordination & Leadership
National Council on GBVF Act 9 of 2024
The Council exists. It has never met. It has no binding power over government departments. This is the most important law to strengthen.
Proposed amendment
Amend Act 9 of 2024 to impose binding duties on all three spheres of government to align their Annual Performance Plans and budgets with the NSP, with mandatory quarterly reporting to the Council and a consequence framework for non-compliance.
What it would do: Transform the Council from an advisory body into an enforcement mechanism. Departments could no longer treat NSP targets as optional. The consequence framework would link non-compliance to budget accountability under the Public Finance Management Act.
2
Pillar 2: Prevention
No new law needed
This is an implementation gap, not a legal gap. The National Prevention Strategy exists. The Department of Women needs a funded implementation plan with provincial rollout timelines.
What is needed instead
A Presidential Directive requiring the Department of Women to publish a costed, provincially disaggregated prevention implementation plan within 60 days, with annual progress reports to the Council.
What it would do: Attach accountability to an existing strategy that has stalled in every province. Progress against implementation milestones would become a Council reporting requirement under the amended Act 9 of 2024.
3
Pillar 3: Justice, Safety & Protection
Three statutes require amendment
The justice pillar has three distinct statutory gaps that cannot be solved by a single amendment. Each failure has its own enabling legislation.
Amendment 3A: Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977
Legislate a minimum 10-year preservation period for biological evidence in sexual offence cases, with a duty on SAPS to maintain a chain-of-custody register accessible to prosecutors.
Amendment 3B: Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998
Require automatic electronic submission of all Protection Orders to SAPS within 24 hours of issue, with real-time enforcement flags in the SAPS dispatch system.
Amendment 3C: Criminal Law (SOCA) Amendment Act 32 of 2007
Legislate a dedicated sexual offences court rollout timeline with a ring-fenced capital budget approved by Parliament, removing court establishment from SAPS discretionary planning.
What these would do: Address the three most concrete failures in Pillar 3: DNA evidence lost to backlog, protection orders ignored because SAPS has no electronic visibility, and sexual offences courts that exist only where it is convenient rather than where they are most needed.
4
Pillar 4: Response, Care, Support & Healing
Social Service Professions Act 110 of 1978
GBV shelters are not subject to minimum standards in law. Anyone can operate a shelter. Quality is inconsistent and unenforceable.
Proposed amendment
Amend the Social Service Professions Act to establish legally binding minimum standards for GBV shelters, with a mandatory inspection mechanism administered by the Department of Social Development and a consequence framework for shelters that fail to meet standards.
What it would do: Give the Department of Social Development a legal basis to withdraw funding from non-compliant shelters and to compel compliance. Currently, shelters receiving government grants are subject to grant conditions but not to a statutory inspection regime.
5
Pillar 5: Economic Power
Maintenance Act 99 of 1998
Maintenance orders are widely ignored. Enforcement depends on a maintenance officer initiating collection. It is slow, inconsistent, and under-resourced.
Proposed amendment
Amend the Maintenance Act to make automatic wage garnishment the default enforcement mechanism for all maintenance orders, requiring employers to deduct and remit maintenance payments directly without a separate court application, with penalties for non-compliant employers.
What it would do: Remove the enforcement burden from the survivor and place it on the employer. Many survivors in abusive situations rely on maintenance orders that are never paid because pursuing non-payment requires legal action they cannot afford or access. Automatic deduction removes that barrier entirely.
6
Pillar 6: Research & Information Management
National Council on GBVF Act 9 of 2024 (amendment)
No department is legally required to report GBVF data to the Council. The Council cannot do its monitoring function without data. This is solvable in the same amendment as Pillar 1.
Proposed amendment
Add a new Part to Act 9 of 2024 imposing statutory reporting obligations on all organs of state collecting GBVF-related data (SAPS, NPA, Department of Social Development, Department of Health), requiring standardised quarterly submissions to the Council and public publication of aggregated data.
What it would do: Give the Council an evidence base for its oversight function. Currently, the Council depends on voluntary submissions and publicly available reports. A statutory data obligation would make non-reporting a legal breach, not just an administrative failure.
Sources: NSP Advocacy Plan (this campaign, 2026) · National Council on GBVF Act 9 of 2024 · Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act 37 of 2013 · Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 · Maintenance Act 99 of 1998 · Social Service Professions Act 110 of 1978 · NSP Five-Year Review, March 2026.