The month of August saw the highest increase in the number of rape cases reported during the second quarter of the year.
Cape Town – The month of August saw the highest increase in the number of rape cases reported during the second quarter of the year.
Briefing the police portfolio committee, Major-General Norman Sekhukune said there were fewer than 49 cases reported in July, 743 cases more recorded in August, and another 49 fewer cases in September.
In his report, Sekhukune said there was a total of 9 556 rape cases during the three-month period countrywide.
Gauteng recorded 2 054, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 1 860, Eastern Cape 1 553, Western Cape 1 009, Limpopo 834, North West 777, Mpumalanga 691, Free State 6 017, and Northern Cape 191.
The top 10 police stations were Temba, Thohoyandou, Lusikisiki, Inanda, Mthatha, Delft, Mamelodi East, Tsakane, Tonga and Seshego.
Sekhukune said a sample of 6 144 rapes showed that 3 951 were committed at residences of the victim or the perpetrator, 1 179 in public places and 177 in a bus, car or taxi.
There were 49 rapes in educational institutions, 49 in hospitality facilities and 45 in liquor outlets.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said one of the areas they have to work hard on was the increase in cases of sexual offence, including rape.
“It can’t give us much comfort whatever happens. We really have to work on that with many other related issues like the other departments of government,” he said.
Cele also said they had made a turnaround in processing DNA, something he believed would help a lot to deal with backlogs in rape, sexual offences and gender-based violence cases.
But DA MP Andrew Whitfield asked Cele what made him so confident.
“How has that situation been turned around so that we can have insight into how the stats are to be impacted in the forensic laboratories?” Whitfield asked.
Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said everything was running smoothly at the forensic science laboratories.
Ntshinga said they were able to process 2 000 cases a day.
There were no longer issues with contracts and a struggle to get consumables.
“We get them when they are needed. We are to outnumber the supplier.” she said.
Ntshinga also said they had reduced the backlogs from 480 991 to 97 664.
“It shows a huge decrease. We are continuously decreasing every day,” she added.
Political Bureau
