President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced femicide following several brutal murders of women this week.

In a statement released by the presidency on Saturday, Ramaphosa called on South Africans to end the culture of silence around gender-based violence and report perpetrators to the police.

This comes after a 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule, from Soweto, was found stabbed and hanging from a tree at a veld in Rooderpoort.

Pule was eight months pregnant at the time of her murder.Another victim was Naledi Phangindawo, Nompumelelo Tshaka and several other women from around the province whose’s bodies were found dumped this week.

“Since the country entered the coronavirus alert level 3, there has been a surge in gender-based violence and femicide.”

“It is a dark and shameful week for us as a nation. Criminals have descended to even greater depths of cruelty and callousness. It simply cannot continue,” said Ramaphosa.