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SAPS reveals 974 rape and sexual assault cases closed every month without resolution

[Listen to Lisa Schickerling MP – DA Deputy Spokesperson on Police expand on this]

Dear Editor

In May 2024, the former Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, revealed in an explosive parliamentary reply to a question posed by the Democratic Alliance that over 5,4 million case dockets were closed, without result, due to insufficient evidence or leads since the 2018/2019 financial year.

Following these revelations, the Democratic Alliance immediately submitted a request for information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 to obtain further details on these dockets. On 7 August 2024, the current Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, furnished the Democratic Alliance with a detailed breakdown of these dockets.

The information furnished to the DA by the Minister paints a disturbing picture, particularly in light of our country’s Women’s Month celebrations, and highlights key areas of concern in both docket management and the capacity and staffing shortages in the SAPS’ detective services.

Between 2018/2019 and 31 December 2023, the following total numbers of dockets were closed, without result, according to the Minister:

  • Murder: 76 655
  • Attempted murder: 40 089
  • Assault GBH: 141 026
  • Aggravated robbery: 256 162
  • Rape: 61 740
  • Sexual Assault: 5 523
  • Kidnapping: 9 114

With respect to case dockets lost from SAPS offices, the highest numbers belong to dockets in cases of murder, assault GBH, and aggravated robbery. According to the Minister, 68,75% of dockets stolen from SAPS stations were open cases of rape and sexual assault (all of them in the province of Limpopo), raising serious questions about the effectiveness of docket management within the SAPS and the maintenance of docket safety. We call upon the Minister and National Commissioner to launch a full-scale investigation into these missing and stolen dockets.

If one breaks the numbers down, approximately 974 cases of rape and sexual assault are closed without result every month. This means that an average of about 32 victims of rape and sexual assault lose a chance at obtaining justice each and every day. This is a deplorable state of affairs that requires urgent intervention from both the Minister and senior SAPS management to ensure that cases of gender-based violence and violence against women are treated with the seriousness and care that they deserve.

The DA will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police to request that the Minister, the National Commissioner, and the Limpopo Provincial Commissioner be brought before the Committee to discuss these matters and to present to the Committee their plans to remedy these critical failures within the SAPS.

Regards

Lisa Schickerling MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Police

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