
Sexual assault cases see spike in first quarter of 2025, reveal statistics
For this quarter, 13,452 sexual offence cases were recorded, a slight increase from the same quarter in the previous year.
This is also the case with recorded rape cases, which now stand at 10,688, an increase from 2024 numbers in the same period.
ALSO READ: Despite decrease in reported rape cases in Q4 crime stats, gender activists want urgent intervention to end GBV
The director of the Callas Foundation, Caroline Peters, said every number is a person and a life that has been affected.
'These are not just numbers, these are our daughters, our sisters, our mothers, our children being harmed, often in their homes and often by people they know.'
Peters said the new statistics are alarming.
'So, while national figures for murder and assault may have dipped slightly, the daily reality remains brutal - guns, gangs, and harmful gender norms continue to devastate our communities.'

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IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Enhancing protection for lesbians: Key discussions on gender-based violence at the National Dialogue
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The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
EML tackles city's battles with prayer
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IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Life sentence for Northern Natal wife-murderer
A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife - and mother of their four children - after he accused her of cheating on him. The man strangled the woman to death during a quarrel when they were alone at the homestead. Image: AI /Ron Between January and March this year 966 women and 314 children were murdered in South Africa, according to recent statistics released by the SAPS, which was another grim reminder of GBV proliferation in the country. It was also staggering to note that in 2023/24 term, 24 942 women were murdered, included in that number was a 29-year-old woman from Jakkalspan, Newcastle, who was strangled to death by husband. The 41-year-old man, who confessed to the July 2024 murder, was sentenced to life behind bars, at the Madadeni Regional Court in Northern KwaZulu-Natal yesterday. The accused believed that his wife had cheated on him. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the couple lived together as husband and wife since the accused had paid a portion of lobola to her family, and they had four children together. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'On the evening of 11 July 2024, the accused and his wife were alone at home when a quarrel broke out between them. This is because he suspected her of cheating on him. The quarrel escalated, and the accused strangled her to death." Ramkisson-Kara said the man then went to his brother's homestead, and related to him what had transpired. He told his brother that he was going to hand himself over to the police. At the police station, he reported to the officer on duty what he had done. The police took him back to his homestead, where he showed them his wife's body. He was then arrested and charged with murder,' said Ramkisson-Kara. In court, prosecutor Zama Zikalala led the testimony of the accused's brother and the police official in question. 'The postmortem results were also handed in to the court. In aggravation of sentence, Zikalala told the court that the accused had a previous conviction for assaulting the deceased on a prior occasion. The accused was sentenced accordingly, and the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm. 'We remain committed to the fight against the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide,' said Ramkisson-Kara. Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said it is deeply saddening to witness continued violence perpetrated against women and children across all sectors of society. 'Between January and March 2025 alone, 966 women and 314 children were murdered. In the first quarter of this year, 5,727 people lost their lives to murder and over 24,000 sexual offences were reported and 10,688 reported cases of rape. "These are not mere statistics. They represent shattered lives, broken families, and communities living in trauma. Year after year, the same systemic failures are raised, and year after year, they remain unresolved. South Africa does not lack insight into the root causes and consequences of GBVF; what is missing is decisive leadership and meaningful implementation,' said Monakali. While commemorating Women's Month, Monakali said they remained deeply concerned about the low conviction rate of offenders and the persistently high prevalence of violence against women and children in South Africa. 'We must ask ourselves critical questions: Are we truly winning the fight against GBVF, or are we more concerned with creating the appearance of progress, ticking boxes, and meeting targets on paper while failing survivors in reality? The latter appears to be true.