SAPS reports over 170 arrests in the battle against gender-based violence
Image: File
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the 90-day blitz to combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has yielded more success with the arrest of more than 170 suspects connected to rape cases across the country.
According to reports, the campaign was launched in April by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to fight the GBVF scourge plaguing South Africa.
SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mukhathi said police are continuing to accelerate their response to combat and prevent GBVF through intensified nationwide operations across the country.
Mukhathi said between June 30 and July 6, 2025, police operations led to the arrest of 99 rape suspects. Gauteng accounted for the highest number of arrests, with 26.
'In addition, police arrested 73 wanted rape suspects as well as 16 individuals tracked down for sexual offences in various provinces,' he said.
The SAPS is also focusing on community mobilisation, enhancing better response, and strengthening collaboration with other government departments and community-based organisations in the fight against GBVF in the country, he noted.
This week, Mukhathi said police effected key arrests for perpetrators of GBVF.
He said on July 6, 2025, police in Limpopo arrested a 29-year-old man for the alleged murder of his 33-year-old girlfriend at Nailana village.
'He allegedly assaulted his girlfriend to death with sticks. He appeared before the Senwabarwana Magistrate's Court on July 8, 2025, facing murder charges,' he said.
In Kaapmuiden, Mpumalanga, 37-year-old Sanele Fakudze, an Eswatini national, was apprehended in connection with the murder of a 4-year-old girl and her 28-year-old mother.
According to Mukhathi, the victims were discovered unconscious next to the road.
Mukhathi added that on July 8, 2025, a 40-year-old man was apprehended for the alleged rape of his 39-year-old ex-girlfriend in Thohoyandou on June 16, 2025.
He appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on July 9, 2025, facing rape charges.
'These arrests form part of the SAPS's intensified 90-day blitz to combat and prevent gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) across the country,' he emphasised.
Moreover, Mukhathi said the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) members successfully secured the following notable convictions during this period.
He said between May and June 2025, detectives from the Gauteng Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit secured 21 life sentences and an additional 1,420 years' imprisonment for 40 accused individuals for crimes committed against women and children in the province.
A 22-year-old in KwaZulu-Natal received a life sentence after being convicted of repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl in Mdantsane in August 2020.
In the Northern Cape, the Calvinia Regional Court sentenced a 40-year-old accused to life imprisonment after being found guilty of raping three siblings aged between 4 and 11 years in October 2022.
Samuel Boomfire Mbuyane, a 42-year-old hip-hop artist, received three life sentences from the Burgersfort Regional Court in Limpopo on July 4, 2025.
This conviction was for three counts of rape, committed in November 2020, involving a 9-year-old boy in Driekop village.
In another case, Mosala Benito Ellester, 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 64-year-old woman in Phelindaba, Bloemfontein, in December 2023.
'Police will continue to conduct their targeted operations to address criminal activities, including GBVF, and ensure the safety and security of communities, especially women, children, and vulnerable groups,' stated Mukhathi.
[email protected]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
37 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Khutsong kidnapping shocks community during ongoing power outages
A 22-year-old man from Khutsong Extension 5 was kidnapped during a terrifying house robbery on the evening of Friday, July 12, adding to growing concerns about violent crime in the area. The incident unfolded around 19:00 in the 70s section of Khutsong Ext 5, where a group of young people were gathered around a fire outside a home. With Welverdiend and surrounding areas continuing to experience prolonged power outages, the group had resorted to using the fire to keep warm. According to witnesses, four unknown men, speaking Sesotho, approached and asked to buy eggs. When told there were none, they questioned a 20-year-old woman, asking if she was 'the woman of the house.' After she responded that their parents were not home, the situation escalated dramatically. The suspects drew firearms and forced the group to the back of the house. They demanded money and forced the woman's brother to open a household safe. The armed robbers stole cash, several cellphones, electronic equipment, and alcohol—before kidnapping the young man as they fled the scene. The victim's mother received a phone call from the kidnappers the following morning. The suspects demanded ransom money for her son's release. Local police have opened a case of house robbery and kidnapping. No arrests have been made at the time of publication. A senior officer involved in the investigation urged residents to install GPS tracking apps on family members' phones as a preventative measure. 'This can help us locate missing persons or kidnapping victims much faster, especially in cases where time is critical,' he said. The incident has left many residents feeling unsafe, particularly with the current lack of electricity and increased vulnerability during the night. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Khutsong police station or report anonymously via the SAPS Crime Stop line at 08600 10111. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Sibiya calls on SA public to be open-minded on allegations against him
JOHANNESBURG - Police deputy national commissioner for crime detection, Shadrack Sibiya, has urged South Africans to remain open-minded when observing all that is unfolding with the SAPS. Sibiya was asked to take a leave of absence on Tuesday afternoon after being implicated in a string of explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi two weeks ago. On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation, announcing that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu would be placed on special leave after he was also implicated by Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi claims he uncovered a syndicate involving politicians and other influential figures in law enforcement and business who have been captured by a drug cartel in Gauteng. Speaking to EWN following the announcement of his leave, Sibiya made the following call to the public: "My only request is that South Africans be prepared to look at this thing in all fairness. If there are allegations, and they can be proven, I understand and accept, but if they cannot be proven, South Africans must also be prepared to open their eyes and see this thing for what it is."
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Why South Africans are losing faith in the police force
The Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) revealed that only 22% of the citizens trust the police. Image: RON AI Teboho Maleke, a resident of Palm Springs in Evaton, believes corruption within the SAPS has eroded public trust in the institution. The 54-year-old added that recent allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, worsened the situation. He said this is one of the reasons police fail to deal with crime. Maleke said the corrupt practices also include bribery and extortion. He made these remarks following the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) study, which revealed that only 22% of citizens expressed trust in the police. 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 ✕ Maleke said Mkhwanazi's allegations confirmed what he has been suspecting about police being part of the problem in society. 'This shows why these people have been failing to deal with crime in our communities. There are a lot of drug dealers around here who are well-known, but they have never been arrested. This also proved that the rot starts from the top, which explains their failure to discipline employees,' he said. He said police failure is another reason some communities would take the law into their own hands to deal with crime. 'They are doing these things everywhere. Even during the roadblocks, they collect bribes and let some drivers either drive under the influence of alcohol or without a driving licence. This is why there are patrollers in communities to do their job, because they are not doing anything,' said Maleke. The HSRC also stated that Mkhwanazi's allegations represent another decisive moment for policing in South Africa, the outcome of which will have a significant bearing on the project to rebuild public trust. Mkhwanazi implicated senior SAPS officials in corruption during his recent media briefing, claiming police have failed to act on evidence tying firearms to high-profile killings, including those of prominent South African artists. He accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of sabotaging critical crime-fighting efforts by ordering the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team — a unit established in 2018 under President Cyril Ramaphosa's inter-ministerial committee (IMC) to tackle politically motivated murders. Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu, in collaboration with Deputy Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya, withdrew 121 case dockets from the team in March 2025, leaving them untouched at SAPS headquarters in Pretoria, despite five being ready for arrests. He also claimed that Mchunu was in constant communication with criminal syndicates, naming a businessman, Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, and an associate, Mr Brown Mogotsi (also referred to as Mahodi or Maki in various statements), as key players funding Mchunu's political activities. The survey also found that well-publicised instances of police abuse or failure can also seem to reduce public confidence, while perceptions of police corruption also had a strong, negative effect on police confidence. Another resident, Timothy Makoe, also endorsed the study, saying police are no longer taking their job seriously. Makoe said he reported a case of fraud after his details, including a banking card, were used to open an account at the Edgars store last year, but it has been attended to. Experts said it was deeply concerning that the public's trust in police continues to decline. Independent crime and policing consultant, Dr Johna Burger, said the declining levels of trust and confidence in the SAPS over the last two decades were predictable, adding that the National Development Plan of 2012, Parliament's Detective Dialogue Report of September 2012 and the 2018 report by the Panel of Experts on how to strengthen and improve the SAPS are some of the reasons for this decline as none of the recommendations were implemented. 'The SAPS has, over the years, and in many instances, abused its own appointment and promotion policies, enabling them to appoint persons into senior positions for which they were not suitably qualified. The recent highly publicised appointment of a female brigadier from outside the police in Crime Intelligence is a good example. 'Also, the SAPS' internal disciplinary processes have all but collapsed, leading to a loss of accountability and demonstrating poor command and control. E.g., between 2012 and 2024, disciplinary hearings decreased by 70%. This decline led to a 483% increase in civil claims for various types of poor and unlawful conduct by its members, paid out by the SAPS,' Burger said. Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said this is because there is corruption within the police and many officials who are not interested in their job. ISS manager of the crime and justice information and analysis hub, Lizette Lancaster, said trust in law enforcement is critical for policing to succeed because they can greatly influence how a civilian interacts with a SAPS member, potentially impacting the outcome of a situation, including whether they cooperate, whether a situation escalates, or whether a person feels comfortable reporting a crime or coming forward as a witness. Lancaster said ISS made several recommendations to strengthen policing in South Africa in 2024. These include suggestions on how to restore pride in the profession and uniform. According to Lancaster, for this to succeed, measurable improvements are needed in recruitment, training, performance management and accountability mechanisms.
