RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - In a statement issued by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in North West, authorities expressed deep concern in regard to the number of rape cases that have been reported across the province.
These incidents have taken place in mostly townships, rural villages and on farms.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police, Major General Patrick Asaneng, has called on all community leaders, social activists, faith-based leaders, and gender and rights groups from across all communities to join hands to address what is clearly "a pandemic afflicting society".
Despite the development and adoption of integrated social crime prevention strategies and plans such as the Gender-based Violence and Femicide Strategy, Community Policing Strategy, National Crime Prevention Strategy and most recently, the Integrated Violence and Crime Prevention Strategy, women, young girls and the elderly continue to be victims of gratuitous violent crimes. These instances of crime are mainly perpetrated by young men and in some instances, partners or suspects who are known to victims. "It is unfortunate and worrisome that there is an almost accepted perception and misdiagnosis of what is surely a pandemic afflicting society which often results in the apportionment of blame. This misdiagnosis is apparent and was accentuated during the quarterly releases of crime statistics by SAPS, where emphasis was placed not on the diagnostic analysis of incidents, but on raw data or numbers of recorded cases.
“When incidents show a decrease, the SAPS takes the praise and yet, when the incidents show an increase, the blame is put squarely on the failure of policing and not on all of the above strategies which require a collaborative, integrated commitment and approach," the statement from SAPS read. Major General Asaneng said: “No number of resources or any policing plan will address moral depravity and societal ills such as gender-based violence, domestic violence and other social fabric crimes. Why is it acceptable for young people, most of whom are either still learners or even unemployed, to frequent taverns and drink liquor? Why are the country's correctional centres filled to the brim with mostly young men, all convicted and serving lengthy sentences for violent contact crimes? Surely, the narrative and the focus have to change for South Africa to save itself from itself."
