
Despite decrease in reported rape cases in Q4 crime stats, gender activists want urgent intervention to end GBV
According to police, 10,688 cases of rape were recorded in the country between 1 January and the end of March this year.
That's a decrease of 1,115 compared to the last three months of last year.
Cases of sexual assault also declined from more than 14,000 last quarter to 13,452 in the first quarter of 2025.
While the stats reflect a decrease, gender activists continue calling for urgent intervention to put an end to gender-based violence.
Director of the Callas Foundation, Caroline Peters, said that the statistics weren't just numbers.
"We need urgent investment in prevention, in protection and justice. GBV is not just a women's issue, it's a crisis of power and we all have a role to play. Let's break the silence and let's act."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Ekurhuleni crackdown sees mass arrests and crime prevention efforts
Law enforcement took to the streets of Edenvale when Operation Basadi arrived in town, leading to the arrest of over 300 suspects across Ekurhuleni. The operation brought together multiple stakeholders who followed up on leads, traced suspects, and worked to curb crime in the area. According to Ekurhuleni District communication officer Captain Neldah Sekgobela, the operation aimed to protect residents and ensure that offenders were brought to justice. It began on August 13 and concluded on August 14. ALSO READ: Edenvale SAPS leads GBV crime prevention at Verge Shopping Centre On the first day, detectives traced suspects throughout the district, resulting in 301 arrests. These included 192 arrests for contact crimes, 18 for contact-related crimes, nine for property crimes, 54 for other serious crimes, and 37 for gender-based violence. In a separate effort, members of Crime Intelligence arrested a suspect for dealing in drugs. The following morning, Katlehong Police Station's station commander, Brigadier Albertina Vesi, led joint operations in Edenvale alongside other senior officers. The initiative included SAPS, EMPD, Gauteng Traffic Wardens, security companies, and other local stakeholders. During the Edenvale operation, 43 illegal immigrants were detained, two suspects were arrested for drug possession, one was arrested for dealing in dagga, and another for possession of illicit cigarettes. A shebeen was closed for non-compliance, and two second-hand goods stores were fined for failing to comply with regulations. ALSO READ: How to protect yourself from cybercrime and commercial crime The operation also had a preventative focus. Members of social crime prevention distributed educational pamphlets at Greenstone Shopping Centre, providing information about gender-based violence and urging community members to report abuse. Senior officers and law enforcement officials conducted a walkabout at the centre to promote police visibility and engage with management. Vesi thanked all members and partners for their ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and security of residents in the district.

IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Enhancing protection for lesbians: Key discussions on gender-based violence at the National Dialogue
Participants at the gender and gender-based violence dialogue lab at the first national convention of the National Dialogue at the University of South Africa's main campus in Pretoria. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers The scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) has taken centre stage at the first national convention of the National Dialogue, with calls for enhanced protection of lesbians. During the dialogue labs to discuss 10 different themes, the gender and GBV theme saw a number of challenges raised by Johannesburg-based human rights organisation Iranti, which warned against attempts to erase lesbian women in terms of reporting GBV. Iranti programmes manager Ntuthuzo Ndzomo said the fear of reporting cases stems from authorities being quick to judge lesbians. He told the dialogue lab that GBV cases were more likely to reach the mainstream if they involve a middle class black or white woman. 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 Ndzomo made the example of a case Iranti tried to report in uMlazi, eThekwini, of a pastor who publicly called for lesbians to be killed, but they were met with bureaucratic brick walls. 'Lesbians reporting GBV are asked what they were doing while dating another woman,' he explained. Ndzomo said one of the reasons organisations such as Iranti decided to participate in the national convention was the much publicised decision by legacy foundations to withdraw from the two-day convention. 'We felt it was important to participate and show that these foundations do not even have members,' he added. A number of political parties, trade unions, and interest groups publicly announced their snubbing of the gathering. Opening the national convention on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the event was a space where South Africans will share their views and make suggestions without hesitation and also be direct and honest. He said during the national convention, there will need to be difficult conversations about many issues, including why South African women have to live in fear of the country's men. 'We as the men of South Africa must begin to internalise this question, why do the women of South Africa fear us – in the streets, in the classrooms and even in our homes? We need to ask ourselves those questions,' said Ramaphosa. He asked: 'Why, when we have a Bill of Rights, are LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and intersex) people still discriminated against, stigmatised, and harassed?' Iranti's Peace Maquba said they were not sure whether to put intersex issues under youth and children because it does not necessarily fit perfectly into the LGBTQI+ space but does for intersex adults. Maquba, a representative of the intersex community in Africa, explained that they work for the intersex community, which are people outside the binary based on their sex characteristics. 'It is visible for some intersex people at birth, who are born with ambiguous genitalia, who are then forced to pick a binary, parents are coerced to pick a binary for their children, which is intersex genital mutilation,' Maquba said. According to Maquba, this affects children and teenagers in schools who get bullied as other intersex people start showing they are intersex at puberty. 'Some intersex people's bodies develop differently and then they go through bullying, then they drop out of school because of the harmful behaviours that they experience,' added Maquba. The gender and GBV dialogue lab on Friday was attended by Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, ANC Treasurer-General Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, and Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.


The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
EML tackles city's battles with prayer
The Emalahleni Local Municipality held a special Women's Month prayer event on Wednesday at the Emalahleni Civic Theatre. Held on August 6, the gathering was led by the Speaker of the Council, Councillor Nombuso Shabangu, and brought together people from different churches, traditional leaders, and members of the local community. The event aimed to promote peace, unity, and respect, and to fight Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, especially in light of recent incidents of violence in the area. 'Our churches must preach peace. Our pastors must preach dignity. United in prayer, we will overcome,' said the Mayor, Clr Vusi Nhlapho. Nhlapho addressed the audience and spoke about two recent incidents where people lost their lives due to violence. He called on the community to stand together and take action to prevent such tragedies. He closed off his speech by quoting the book of Isaiah 1:17, 'Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless; plead the widow's cause.' The prayer meeting was attended by representatives from various local churches, traditional authorities, and church leaders. The South African Police Service, the Emalahleni Taxi Association, and local biker groups also joined the event and delivered messages of support. 'My superiors, Brigadier Lindani Ndlovu and Brigadier Moses Bolton, who sent me here, told me that I should not fear to say to our community that we are running out of strength. We are failing. But we have to work together,' said a representative from the SAPS. Each group spoke about the importance of working together to protect and create safer communities. Their presence showed that the fight against GBV is not just a government issue, but a shared responsibility. Shabangu made a plea to men, asking them to be more patient and caring toward their wives and partners. The community came together to pray for healing and change. Candles were lit and prayers were offered. The Deputy Minister of Correctional Services in South Africa, Leonah Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, was also in attendance. Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: [email protected]