Paul Kariuki
The recently published crime statistics for 2023/2024 presented a grim picture of unfettered crimes against women. The number of suspects arrested for sexual offences such as rape and attempted rape is shockingly high.
According to the report released by then-police minister Bheki Cele, there were 4,783 suspects arrested for sexual offences related to crimes such as rape and attempted rape.
While it is commendable to note that the SAPS has intensified its efforts to track down and arrest perpetrators of the heinous crimes, more needs to be done to eradicate the scourge in our society and strengthen the administration of justice to victims.
Recently, various media outlets reported that a high number of gender-based violence (GBV) cases were closed because dockets had either been stolen or were missing. Such incidents undermine the efforts of the government to promote a safe society for all, especially women and girls who are often the victims of the heinous acts. Moreover, the loss or theft of the dockets wears out citizens’ confidence in the justice system to protect them.
Against this background, it is important to emphasise that violence against women is an abuse of their human rights and requires a multifaceted approach that includes broad-based stakeholder engagement and support systems to deal with it.
The newly appointed police minister has his work cut out for him.
First, the responsibility of the minister is to interrogate the misdeeds within the police service that undermine the government’s efforts to promote justice for all. As the custodian of national security through his department, the minister needs to be at the forefront of re-evaluating the administrative and systematic challenges of the department to curb the mishandling of dockets and other relevant documentation needed for ensuring the successful prosecution of perpetrators.
Second, connected to the above point, the minister should increase the resources and training for police officers handling domestic violence and sexual assault cases, so that they can handle them sensitively and effectively.
The move would enhance security officers’ understanding of the importance of the role they played in ensuring justice was administered to the victims and heighten the levels of accountability as the minister strengthened consequence management processes whenever mishandling of dockets occurs.
Third, citizens must be involved in facilitating effective support of any initiatives aimed at combating GBV and any forms of violence against women and girls in society. A people- and community-centred approach fosters collaboration among strategic partners and co-creates a holistic approach to preventing GBV.
More importantly, trust between the policing community and citizenry needs to be rebuilt to deepen partnership and encourage mutually beneficial collaboration that enhance community safety and crime prevention.
Fourth, better policing and crime prevention should be informed insights from data to design-targeted interventions that could to turn the tide of the scourge around. Moreover, the minister could use data to foster accountability across the policing community under his authority and enforce remedial measures where performance was below optimal expectations.
Fifth, there is a need to strengthen victim support services at police stations and in communities. The minister must ensure that victim support services in various police stations are well-resourced and have competent staff who ensure safe spaces for victims to find help without fear of retribution.
Sixth, the minister should advocate for stronger laws and policies that protect the victims and hold perpetrators accountable, including harsher penalties for all forms of sexual offences. The minister should support the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide and determine how his department can fast-track its implementation across the country.
Seventh, there is a dire need for community education engagements that aim at educating communities on human rights, GBV, community policing, legislation designed to curb violence of all forms, particularly violence against women, and their role in combating crime at the community level. Such public outreach and education initiatives are influential in shifting peoples’ mindsets and societal attitudes toward crime prevention and eradication.
In conclusion, by implementing the strategies, the police minister could play a crucial role in addressing and reducing violence against women in South Africa. A multi-stakeholder approach is critical for sustaining the efforts. They should be prioritised and supported by the minister and government agencies in the security cluster.
For South Africa to overcome and break the vicious cycle of GBV, the law enforcement officials found guilty of gross misconduct would be held accountable.
There is hope that the situation will change, given the promises of the commitment of the seventh administration and the ministers’ initiative to address any form of misconduct within the SAPS. The minister has an enviable opportunity to turn the optimism of the moment into reality and rebuild a police force that is trusted by the citizenry it serves.
* Dr Paul Kariuki is the executive director of the Democracy Development Programme. He writes in his personal capacity.
** The views expressed in this article are the owners and do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media