Police Minister Bheki Cele says there is a slight decrease in reported rape cases

Lerato Mbhiza

An intensive police awareness campaign against sexual offences-related crimes has yielded positive results with a decline in the number of sexual offences registered in the country. 

According to the quarterly crime statistics, reflecting on crimes that occurred between 01 October 2023 to 31 December 2023, sexual offences crimes, including rape, sexual assault and contact sexual offences, registered an overall 1.7% decline during the period.

Presenting the crime stats on Friday, Police Minister, Bheki Cele, said rape declined by 1.7% with six provinces, including Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, all registering a decline in this crime category.

The report also showed that more than 2 400 suspect raids led to 4 264 suspects being arrested for Gender-Based Violence and Femicide-related (GBVF) crimes, including rape and sexual assault. 

A total of 112 life sentences were handed down to 89 rapists, while 64 rapists and GBVF