Johannesburg - President Cyril Ramaphosa says young men should take up the struggle and fight against gender-based violence.
Ramaphosa said, in his weekly newsletter on Monday, that he has been deeply disturbed by the surge in reports of gender-based violence cases over the past couple of days.
Calls for the government to do more to help end gender-based violence have resurfaced after the murder of Tshegofatso Pule.
Pule was buried last week and the perpetrator responsible for her death has yet to be arrested. Following her death, other cases of women being killed allegedly by their partners have been reported.
The government, particularly the SAPS, has been widely criticised by activists for not doing enough to end the surge of killings.
Ramaphosa has called for men to do more to end the surge in violence against women.
"While this needs society-wide action, I call on young men, in particular, to take up the struggle against gender-based violence. Unless we end the war that is being waged against South African women, the dream of a new society will remain elusive," Ramaphosa said.
He used his message to equate the need to fight for gender equality just as society had come together in the fight against other causes such as free education.
"Just as they took up the struggle for equality in higher education, the considerable energies of our youth must also be brought to bear to fight for equitable access to health care, for the transformation of land ownership and, most importantly, for gender justice.
"Like all South Africans, I have been deeply disturbed by a surge over the last few days in the murder of young women at the hands of men. These are shocking acts of inhumanity that have no place in our society," the president said.
Ramaphosa admitted that the justice system has to be improved to deal with such cases.
"Youth-led civic activism, awareness-raising and peer counselling are vital tools in our efforts to eradicate gender-based violence from society. At the same time, we must strengthen our justice system, ensuring that perpetrators are brought to book, bail and parole conditions are tightened and that those sentenced to life spend the rest of their lives behind bars," he said.