FROM THE UNION BUILDINGS
A message from President Cyril Ramaphosa
No excuse for GBV I
f a nation’s character
Of the nearly 73 000
sibility to devote the
and Femicide Fund and
can be judged by how
assault cases reported
necessary resources to
supporting the network of
it treats women and
during this period, more
combat crimes of gender-
Thuthuzela and Khuse-
children, then we are falling
than 13 000 were domes-
based violence (GBV).
leka Care Centres.
desperately short.
tic violence-related. The
Since the launch of the
The SAPS has indicated
The latest crime statis-
rate of child murders has
National Strategic Plan
we are making progress
tics released by the South
climbed by nearly a third
to Combat Gender-based
in reducing the sig-
African Police Service
compared to the previous
Violence and Femicide
nificant backlogs in DNA
(SAPS) show an in-
reporting period.
(NSP) in 2020, there have
analysis, which is crucial
We have said before
been a several interven-
to securing justice for
violence, and, perhaps
that the violence perpe-
tions to respond to GBV.
survivors of sex crimes.
most worryingly, in child
trated by men against
This includes far-
murders.
women is the second
reaching legislative
134 GBV desks at police
pandemic that our coun-
reform, support to
stations around the coun-
September 2021, 9 556
try must confront, and
survivors through the
try and is in the process
people, most of whom
like the COVID-19 pan-
provision of evidence kits
of establishing more.
were women, were raped.
demic it can be overcome
at police stations and
This is 7% more than in
if we all work together.
psycho-social services,
male violence. It is pre-
the previous reporting
As government, we
the establishment of a
dominantly men who are
Gender-Based Violence
rapists. It is mainly men
crease in rapes, domestic
Between July and
period.
8
have a duty and respon-
The SAPS also operates
GBV is a problem of
Public Sector Manager • December 2021 / January 2022
