Just a day before the launch of the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a gruesome picture of gender-based violence (GBV) has emerged, with police minister Bheki Cele revealing that more than 10,000 rapes were reported in three months.
This translates into an average of 109 rapes a day. There were 9,556 cases reported in the same period last year. The shocking statistics also revealed that of the 8,227 rape cases perused, 5,083 had occurred at the home of the victim or perpetrator.
There were 1,651 rapes that occurred at public places, such as streets, parks and beaches. More than 13,000 women were reported victims of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Cele said the crime levels were unacceptable.
“The rate at which women are abused, violated and some killed in South Africa remains worrying and unacceptable. Many are killed by the people they know, people they love and trust.
“As we edge closer to commemorating the commencement of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign on the 25th of November, the reality is [that] women continue to be victims of violent crimes in SA,” Cele said.
But activists against GBV say the stats are an indication that the two summits that have been held to fight this scourge are not yielding results.
“The statistics show that what was discussed at the latest conference is not being implemented and what was discussed in the previous conference has also not been implemented…" said Sihle Sibisi, founder of the Kwanele Foundation.
“There is a lack of education on the ground. They are not doing enough on print and digital media in raising awareness regarding the consequences of one doing an act of gender-based violence. Politicians make noise when it is towards 16 Days of Activism. Beyond that, they are quiet," said Sibisi.
Cele also reported that 7,004 people were murdered between July and September in SA, an increase of 841 compared to the same period last year when 6,163 people were killed.
The source of the killings were arguments and misunderstandings. Incidents of road rage and provocations accounted for 956 murders in SA.
Police are also investigating 250 separate dockets of multiple murders where 578 people were killed in groups across the country in the same period.
This includes the killing of 17 people at Mdlalose's Tavern at Nomzamo, Orlando East in Soweto, in July. From April to end of September, 558 children were killed in SA.
Police are also investigating attempted murder dockets of 294 children.
There were 1,895 assault GBH cases where victims were children. “The crime statistics again show that we as communities continue to fail to protect some of the most vulnerable in society... our children,” Cele said.
Organisations working with children and women said these statistics were not a true reflection of high levels of crime in the country.
“It is an understatement because we know that cases of rape are under-reported. Last year we did a survey in five towns of Witzenberg (Western Cape) and the sample that we took revealed that 98% of women had been victims of violence. The majority said they did not want to report either due to the attitude of the SAPS or because the perpetrator is a family member,” said Brenda Snyders, director of Rural Development Support Programme.
People Opposing Women Abuse spokesperson Thandiwe McCloy said: “Some cases of GBV are not reported for various reasons, including fear of further abuse and because families are financially dependent on the abuser.”
ANC presidential hopeful Zweli Mkhize said women were killed by people they knew.
“We need to go out and protect women. This problem of gender based violence and femicide is the worst of the pandemics or epidemics this country has seen and the worst part of it is how you find the women that died don’t die in the hands of strangers but die in the hands of boyfriends, husbands and people who are support to love them,” said Mkhize who gave a keynote address at the Bertha Gxowa memorial lecture in Katlehong on the East Rand.
“That’s not the mark of a free nation. We have to liberate our attitudes towards women, we have to make sure we respect women, admire and respect women and handle issues of women not as that of women but society. Unless that side is balanced, the other side cannot function.”
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
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