News South Africa

At least 150 people rape cases are reported to the police daily in South Africa. According to the Medical Research Council, only one in nine cases are.

Bodenstein said that if the survivor wants to claim money from the person that raped them, it will be a civil matter. “Firstly, if a survivor reports to the police, then a criminal case is opened. We spoke to the head of the SAPS in Mamelodi and up to this day, the family hasn’t received proper communication or assurance that justice will be served,”Mahlangu said. From here, they can arrange for a police officer to come and take a statement,” said Bodenstein. Both SAPS and the courts need to step up. The insensitivity at police stations and lack of training also play a big role in the reluctance,” said Mahlangu. She said that the communities have played their part in the fight against gender-based violence by not being bystanders. A GBV case that caught the attention of many South Africans was the Namhla Mwta case. Despite these efforts, GBV continues to be a plague in the country. Of the reported cases, fewer than 30 will make it to court, and only 10 of those will result in a prison sentence. The National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF is the government’s comprehensive strategy for tackling all forms of violence and abuse against women and children. The response has been very disappointing and has lacked political will”, she said.