GBV victim Izette Venter laments eight-year wait for justice in Pretoria case

Venter highlighted that the state concluded its arguments two years prior, yet no progress has been made, with the defense repeatedly postponing their case. She recounted suffering an eye injury and spending time in intensive care after the attack. Similarly, Louise Wolmarans is also seeking justice after opening a case against her ex-boyfriend in 2021 for an attack.

Wolmarans described a "toxic relationship" where her ex allegedly convinced her to take out significant loans. Following the 2021 attack, she was arrested, attempted suicide, and subsequently laid charges of grievous bodily harm and attempted murder against her ex. Professor Witness Maluleke, head of the criminology and criminal justice department at the University of Limpopo, described GBV in South Africa as a "thorny pandemic" with no clear solution, noting that long waits for justice lead to re-victimization.

Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan added that South Africa is losing battles against GBV due to slow, fragmented, and poorly implemented responses, exacerbated by court backlogs and institutional delays.