The South African Police Service (SAPS) continues to make decisive strides in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), bringing 2 284 sexual offenders to justice during the month of August – observed annually as Women’s Month.

Through the relentless work of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units, suspects were arrested for crimes that include rape, sexual assault, abduction, attempted rape, and other related offences.

The highest number of arrests were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (427), followed by Gauteng (380) and the Eastern Cape (317).

There are 176 FCS Units across the country with a Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Unit on national level and within each province.

These specialised teams are mandated to investigate, trace, and arrest perpetrators of the following crimes:

• Sexual crimes
• Person-directed crimes (assault, GBH)
• Illegal removal of persons (kidnapping, abduction, and cases of missing children)
• Electronic media-facilitated crimes (child sexual abuse material and the non-consensual sharing of intimate content).

Notable convictions

Gauteng: The High Court, Gauteng Local Division, sentenced 25-year-old Sara Phethe Simiao to two life terms for the rape and murder of six-year-old Amantle Samane in Orlando East.

Northern Cape: The Fraserburg Regional Court sentenced a 37-year-old man to four life terms for repeatedly sexually abusing his 13-year-old stepdaughter.

Limpopo: The Nkowankowa Regional Court sentenced Rady Bayiza Makhubele (46) to two life terms plus eight years for raping, assaulting, and exposing pornography to minors. He lured three children to his home where he abused them.

Kwazulu-Natal: The Ulundi Regional Court sentenced Sibusiso Khanyile (43) to life imprisonment for raping a 20-year-old woman in Mahlabathini in 2022.

These successes are a testament to SAPS’s unwavering commitment to protect women, children, and other vulnerable members of society.

IOL News

Source link