By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
1 May 2025- The South African Police Service (SAPS) in North West said it is deeply worried and concerned about the number of rape cases that are reported across the province mostly in townships, rural areas, villages and farms.
The acting North West Police Commissioner, Major General Patrick Asaneng is calling upon all community leaders, social activists, faith-based leaders, Gender and Right Groups from across the entire civil society and to join hands to address what is clearly a pandemic afflicting society.
Asaneng said, 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, girl children and the elderly continue to be victims of gratuitous violent crimes perpetrated disturbingly 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 result in the apportionment of blame.
“This misdiagnosis is apparent and accentuated during the quarterly releases of crime statistics by the SAPS where emphasis is placed not on the diagnostic analysis of incidents but on raw data or numbers of recorded cases,” he said.
Asaneng further said when incidents show a decrease, the SAPS takes the praises 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. He added that no amount of resources or a policing plan will address moral depravity and societal ills such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV), domestic violence and other social fabric crimes.
“Why is it acceptable for young people, most of whom would either still be learners or even unemployed, to frequent taverns and drink liquor? Why are the country’s Correctional Centres full 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,” he said.
The Guardian 