The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga will write to the MEC of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Jacie Macie, requesting a meeting with him to discuss his plans of dealing with the increasing cases of rape and other criminal activities in the province. As well as the challenges facing the South African Police officers who work tirelessly to combat serious crimes in Mpumalanga.
According to the recent Crime Stats report which focuses on the period from October 2024 to December 2024, Kabokweni area has once again been identified as the rape, sexual offence, and sexual assault capital of Mpumalanga. It is mentioned for the second consecutive year in the Top 30 Police Stations around the country where most rape, sexual assault, and sexual offences cases have been reported.
According to the stats:
- Kabokweni Police Station recorded 54 rape cases of rape from October to December 2024. This is almost double the figures of 34 reported in between October and December 2020.
- Kabokweni is also at number 13 for sexual offences cases. It has recorded 64 sexual offences cases from October to December 2024. That is 20 cases more than the 44 recorded in 2020.
- Kabokweni is also in number 18 for sexual assault cases. It recorded 10 sexual assault cases from October to December 2024. Up from the 6 cases reported between October and December in 2020.
Altogether, 784 cases of rape were reported in Mpumalanga from the period between October to December 2024. This is an increase to the 774 cases that were reported between October and December 2023. More worrisome is the many of the rape cases were reported to have been committed by people known to the victims, like family and friends.
It is deeply concerning that sexual violent cases have increased in the province which demonstrates that government’s current interventions are not yielding positive results in terms of fighting and preventing sexually related crimes.