Dear Editor
During the Police Parliamentary Committee held last week, SAPS remained silent when questioned about the exclusion of gender-based violence figures from the most recent crime statistics report. In a country where a woman is murdered every three hours, this omission is not just a statistical gap, it is a moral failure.
The DA demands accountability. The exclusion of GBV data and data on crimes against women and children from the most recent national quarterly crime statistics is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately. The DA has submitted written questions to the Minister of Police to obtain this data in the public interest.
SAPS cannot claim to be fighting gender-based violence and crimes against children when they don’t even count it. These statistics are not optional; they are essential to informing our approach to combat these heinous crimes. Without them, the SAPS and National Government cannot track progress, allocate resources, or hold anyone to account.
This omission undermines every single effort to tackle the plague of GBV and crimes against women and children. South Africa is in a state of emergency. Every crime statistic has a human backstory of unspeakable suffering, yet there is little to no systematic change. We know their names: Bokamoso Phakathi, age 4, beaten to death in Orange Farm; Khayone Phakaathi, age 6, stabbed outside her home; and Anele Mbokazi, age 12, buried in a shallow grave.
On 1 May 2025, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster launched a 90-day GBVF blitz, which was meant to coordinate interventions, address systemic bottlenecks, and ensure measurable progress. Yet, just weeks into this undertaking, violence has not only continued, it has escalated.
The DA wants clear answers from SAPS and the JCPS Cluster:
- What would these statistics have shown South Africans?
- Who made the decision to exclude GBV figures from the report?
- What steps are being taken to ensure this never happens again?
- How will government guarantee full transparency going forward?
Until GBV and crimes against children are accurately reflected in national crime statistics, any claims of commitment to combating this crisis are hollow. The DA is fighting to ensure that the lived experiences of women and children are not erased from official records.
The lives of our children, our women, our future, depend on what we do now.
Regards
Lisa Schickerling MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Police