Sexual offences on the rise
JOHANNESBURG - Government is hopeful its 90-day Gender-Based Violence and Femicide initiative will help address the scourge.
Sexual offences continue to increase while Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal lead in the number of reported rape cases.
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IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Urgent action needed to address KZN's alarming rape statistics
NGO's say the deep-rooted issues that lead to gender-based violence need to be addressed. Image: Independent Newspapers Archives KwaZulu-Natal continues to report one of the highest rates of rape in South Africa, contributing 19.9% to the national total, according to the fourth quarter crime statistics released recently by the South African Police Service. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that in the quarter under review, provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, and the Western Cape recorded decreases in rape statistics. However, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remained the biggest contributors, at 19.1% and 19.9% respectively. To address the crisis, Mchunu said the government had launched a 90-day Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV+F) blitz. 'This includes the revival of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on GBV+F, tasked with coordinating government interventions, resolving systemic bottlenecks, and ensuring measurable progress,' he said. But activists say the government's efforts are not addressing the deep-rooted and devastating reality facing women and children in the province. 'It's incredibly difficult to determine the true scale of sexual violence in South Africa because an estimated 95% of rape cases go unreported,' said Women For Change founder and executive director, Sabrina Walter. 'In the official crime statistics published by SAPS, we only see a fraction of the reality, silenced by fear, shame, and a broken justice system.' Walter said the persistent high rape figures in KZN were driven by 'entrenched patriarchy, poverty, and the lack of accessible, trauma-informed support services'. She added that the stats showing that most rapes were committed by individuals known to the victims, and often in private homes, further underscored the need for community-based prevention strategies, said Walter. 'This is exactly why prevention must begin at home, within families, relationships, and communities. It's also why we focus on empowering bystanders, friends, neighbours, and relatives to speak out, intervene safely, and support survivors instead of staying silent.' On the state's response to GBV, Walter said the justice system was failing. 'Every single day, we hear from survivors who were turned away by police, refused the right to open a case, or watched as officers failed to arrest perpetrators, even in clear cases where protection orders were breached.' She called for ongoing, trauma-informed, survivor-centred training for police and for GBV to be declared a National Disaster. 'Without this formal recognition, GBVF continues to be treated as a secondary issue, despite thousands of women and children being harmed or killed every year.' The TEARS Foundation echoed this view, saying it had seen no evidence of a real decrease in rape, especially not in KZN. 'At The TEARS Foundation, we are deeply concerned by the narrative suggesting a national decline in rape cases,' the organisation said in a statement. 'What we are seeing is an increase in survivors being turned away at police stations, more cases being closed without prosecution, and fewer formal reports being made. These are not signs of progress. They are signs of a system that survivors are losing faith in.'
eNCA
25-05-2025
- eNCA
Sexual offences on the rise
JOHANNESBURG - Government is hopeful its 90-day Gender-Based Violence and Femicide initiative will help address the scourge. Sexual offences continue to increase while Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal lead in the number of reported rape cases.
IOL News
09-05-2025
- IOL News
Youth development and wellness: Gayton McKenzie's visit to Durban
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie. Image: Facebook Durban's cultural leaders are expected to give Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, a traditional welcome to Wentworth on Saturday McKenzie is expected to lead a series of impactful initiatives across KwaZulu-Natal as part of the department's ongoing commitment to youth development, community wellness, and social transformation through sport, mentorship, and public engagement. The Wentworth community is expected to host McKenzie in the Move4Health Wellness Campaign at Wentworth Park. Department spokesperson Stacey-Lee Khojane said the event forms part of the national I Choose 2 be Active movement, and commemorates World Move for Health Day, a globally recognised initiative. The event advocates for daily physical activity as a cornerstone of long-term health and well-being. McKenzie is also expected to visit the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) for the guided by greatness youth mentorship event hosted in partnership with Sivusisiwe Africa Initiatives. Khojane said this flagship initiative is designed to support adolescent boys, particularly those growing up without their biological fathers, by instilling values of discipline, purpose, and resilience. Khojane said the event targets boys in Grades 7 to 10, and aims to address pressing social challenges such as fatherlessness, substance abuse, and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), while promoting mental health, leadership, and personal growth. She stated that this was part of the department's Golekane Campaign — a national GBVF awareness initiative that encourages open and constructive dialogue between men and boys throughout the year. These engagements underscore the department's holistic approach to building a healthier, more empowered South African society through sport, arts, and culture. Andre De Bruin, paramount chief of the Khoi and San (Khoisan) and Wentworth community activist, said cultural leaders accepted the invitation to attend the event in good faith, adding that the community had a strong cultural representation of Griquas and San people. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ De Bruin hoped McKenzie's visit would be beneficial to the community. 'All we ask is for our cultural voices to be heard and for McKenzie to take our message and concerns to Parliament. We ask for our culture to be respected and recognised. For far too long, we have been on terms and conditions. We hope and pray the traditional leaders walk away with something for their people,' De Bruin said. Alexandra Uys, eThekwini Ward 68 sports committee member, said they were looking forward to meeting with McKenzie to showcase the sporting talent the community has and the assistance they need to keep children off the streets.
