The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Benoni, Gauteng, ensures that perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) are held accountable.

Last financial year, the unit secured convictions for nearly 50 sex offenders, with more than 30 receiving life sentences.

One of the unit’s landmark cases is that of serial rapist Vulike Emmanuel Mpeka, who was sentenced to three life terms for multiple counts of rapes by the Benoni High Court.

National Police spokesperson Amanda Van Wyk explains, “The SAPS is quite happy and we’re confident in our teams that are behind these successes and that is why we have gone to celebrating the specialised units and teams this Women’s Month.”

She says for the hard work and for going beyond the call of duty and securing more than 22 000 arrests last year and securing more than 2 900 convictions, that is the period from the 1st of April last year until the 31st of March this year.

“So we have gone on to this campaign to celebrate them for going the extra mile. This is now our family, violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, and our serial and electronic units, FACS and SECI for short. So, we have 176 FCS units countrywide and we have a SECI unit in each province and one on a national level,” she adds.

SAPS Benoni convicts 50 sex offenders