Police intensify efforts to combat GBV and secure convictions nationwide
In the past week alone, law enforcement arrested 100 suspects for rape and 16 for attempted rape.
This sweeping action forms part of a 90-day blitz designed to bring perpetrators to justice and reinforce public confidence in the police.
ALSO READ: Edenvale entities take stand against GBV
In a media statement, it was reported that Gauteng recorded the highest number of arrests, with additional suspects tracked down in other provinces.
The police also successfully apprehended 67 wanted rape suspects through various tracing operations.
These arrests reflect the police's unwavering commitment to fighting GBVF, protecting vulnerable communities, and ensuring justice for survivors.
Alongside these arrests, the police continue to secure key convictions in GBVF-related cases through the work of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
In one of the most severe sentences to date, the Bloemfontein Regional Court handed down life imprisonment to a 45-year-old man found guilty of multiple counts of rape involving a minor. The crimes were committed in October 2023.
Another significant conviction was secured in Sasolburg, where 30-year-old Tumelo Christian Khotha was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the rape and assault of a 17-year-old girl in March 2022. His sentence followed detailed investigations and a successful court prosecution.
ALSO READ: Gauteng Health takes a stand against GBV
Additional life sentences were issued in KwaZulu-Natal, where a 48-year-old grandfather and a 45-year-old uncle were found guilty in separate incidents of sexually abusing minor family members.
The Mtubatuba Regional Court heard that the grandfather had repeatedly raped his granddaughter since 2020 at their Dukuduku home. In a separate case, the uncle was convicted of sexually abusing his niece in Ezibayeni.
In a case involving child pornography, the Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced 29-year-old Andre Meyer to three years' imprisonment, suspended for five years. Meyer had photographed a 12-year-old boy while the child was using a school toilet, an act that led to his conviction for creating explicit content involving a minor.
The police reaffirmed their dedication to addressing crimes against women, children, and people with disabilities.
The service noted it remains focused on ensuring perpetrators are held accountable and victims are supported through the justice system.
'The police remain dedicated to protecting children's rights and ensuring justice for victims of sexual crimes, especially women, children and people living with disabilities,' the statement read.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
8 hours ago
- The Citizen
Suspect who allegedly murdered wife and girlfriend found dead
The man accused of killing two women, including his pregnant ex, has been found dead in a field near Lusikisiki. The police found the man who allegedly killed his pregnant girlfriend and his wife in Ngobozana, Eastern Cape, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Ngobozana area in Lusikisiki was left reeling on Tuesday as the police hunted a 42-year-old man for allegedly shooting and killing two women. The suspect first allegedly shot his girlfriend, Dolly Voxeka, 22, at a tavern in the Chithwayo locality after she tried to break up with him. Man accused of killing wife and girlfriend Voxeka's mother said her daughter had two young children and was expecting a third when the suspect took her life. 'He said to Dolly that you can't say you don't want to be with me now. I am also unhappy in my home because of your situation [pregnancy],' the grieving mother said. ALSO READ: Withdrawn GBV cases allow 'perpetrators to evade justice', hears portfolio committee She said her daughter ran and tried to hide after seeing the suspect with a gun, and that he allegedly threatened to kill her. Voxeka ran to a tavern to escape, but the 42-year-old followed her and allegedly shot her there. 'This man killed my child, who was born in 2003; at that time, he was a grown man. He killed my child and left her young children,' the inconsolable mother said. The suspect then proceeded to his home in Unity Park, where he allegedly shot his wife while she was asleep. According to reports, her grandchildren were sleeping with her at the time. Found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound He fled the scene in the family's vehicle, which police later discovered abandoned. On Wednesday, the police announced the discovery of the man's body in Gqathula locality, approximately 10km outside the Lusikisiki CBD. ALSO READ: 'Declare Limpopo a GBV disaster zone' – ANCWL 'Preliminary reports suggest he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though police are conducting a thorough investigation,' the police said in a statement on social media. Following the double murders, an intensive search ensued until community members found a man's body in an open field with a 9mm pistol nearby. The deceased was positively identified as the suspect in the Ngobozana murders. Inquest docket The Lusikisiki police have opened an inquest docket to determine the exact circumstances surrounding his death. This tragic incident of gender-based violence comes as South Africa celebrates Women's Month. NOW READ: Olorato Mongale: Suspect's parents arrested for aiding escape in murder case
The Citizen
14 hours ago
- The Citizen
Families mourn the loss of 3 women who died of GBV attacks in eMalahleni
Families mourn the loss of 3 women who died of GBV attacks in eMalahleni The bereaved families of the three women who tragically lost their lives to Gender-Based Violence are overwhelmed by sorrow, demanding justice for their daughters. Women's month started off with the devastating news of the passing of three women who were burned allegedly by men in two different incidents in Kwa-Guqa. In the first incident that involved two young women, Nompumelelo Gumede (21) and Antoinette Hill (23), after a heated argument Gumede had with her boyfriend on July 23, he allegedly doused her with petrol, together with his sister, Hill, who tried to intervene. The two were set alight and left to burn in a locked room. Gumede's mother, Shirley Gumede, expressed her anguish, stating, 'I want to see justice served for my daughter because she is not the only one. People continue to suffer because of Gender-Based Violence, and it is enough.' She further advised that those considering committing such a heinous act against other people should stop. Hill's father, Samuel Menzelwa, on the other hand, voiced similar concerns, saying, 'What happened doesn't sit well with us. It has left us all in a very bad space as a family, and we would like to see justice prevail.' The family of Ntombifuthi Mokalapa (48), who also died of a similar incident that took place on the evening of August 2, expressed their heartbreak, citing the painful state she was found in, with severe burn wounds all over her body. Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: [email protected]
The Citizen
17 hours ago
- The Citizen
‘Delayed justice' irks Pretoria GBV survivor
After five years of court delays, a Pretoria GBV victim says there's nothing to celebrate this Women's Month. A Pretoria gender-based violence (GBV) victim said there was nothing to celebrate this Women's Month after the case against her cop ex-boyfriend was postponed again. Yesterday, Izelle Venter had to face her alleged abuser, a Hawks officer, in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in a case of assault which has been dragging on for five years. She will have to return next month to hear if the new application to get a state witness to testify will be granted and if the case will be postponed again. 'One of the hardest things' – GBV victim testifying against ex Venter describes testifying against her ex-boyfriend, Jacques Loock, a captain in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, as one of the hardest things she had to do. 'It feels like the defence keeps on playing for time. Delayed justice is justice denied,' she said. ALSO READ: Femicide horror as EC man kills wife and ex-girlfriend After the attack in February 2019, Venter spent five days recovering in an intensive care unit and was booked off from work for another six weeks. 'It makes me incredibly sad, I am the victim, the state doesn't stand up for me. Instead it's just one delay after the next. The accused has more rights than the victim,' she said. Venter, who attended the first court hearing in March 2019, said she has lost count of how many times the case has been delayed. Lost count of how many times case was delayed 'Nobody takes the time to explain to me what's going on in court, it's just the accused this and the accused that,' she said. Venter said the worst of it all was that she couldn't move on with her life or cut him out because the case was still ongoing. ALSO READ: Mother arrested for allegedly choking baby to death 'For two months, everything is fine until the next court date, then I am traumatised again and then they postpone it again,' she said. 'It's not fair. How must I carry on with my life? I sit with the trauma, while he was promoted in the force.' Venter said she is still terrified of her alleged attacker because she was close to him. Still terrified of attacker 'Although it happened in 2019, when that man walked around that corner this morning, I couldn't face him. I am still scared of him,' she said. Venter said there was no justice for GBV victims. ALSO READ: Calls for justice after Mpumalanga man allegedly sets women alight 'Not once in the past six years did anyone look at my rights, not once. What's the point of going through all of this just to be disappointed,' she said. Unchain Our Children founder Wayne van Onselen said they supported Venter in the presidential stance of zero tolerance against GBV, which the state and judiciary have made a mockery of. 'Five years on the roll, manipulation of the system and the only support given is from an NGO, GBV is out of control,' he said. Court backlogs a nightmare for victims Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan said this matter was one of many and, daily, court cases are postponed for long periods. Backlogs at courts and procedural requirements were a nightmare for every victim. 'The court is bound by the victims charter which states that they have the right to be treated with fairness and with respect for dignity and privacy; the right to be attended to promptly and courteously; and treated with respect for your dignity and privacy by all members of any department, institution, agency or organisation or service provider. ALSO READ: Join us in the fight against GBV 'The police [during the investigations], the prosecutors and court officials [during preparation for and during the trial proceedings] and all other service providers will take measures to minimise any inconvenience to you by, among others, conducting interviews with you in your language of choice and in private, if necessary,' she said. Van Graan said these measures should prevent people from being subjected to secondary victimisation.
