DA Limpopo dismay over high rate of rape and domestic violence in Limpopo
Limpopo
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo said they are worried about sustained large numbers of sexual offences, which prove that the police and Limpopo Provincial Government are still failing to keep residents safe in their communities.
The party has raised a grave concerned following the release of the 2023/2024 first quarter crime statistics.
Suzan Phala DA Spokesperson on Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo, said the province is currently losing the battle on crime and the first quarter crime statistics paint a bleak picture.
In the statistics, the province recorded 197 murders, 1031 sexual offences, including 858 rapes and 104 sexual assaults, 247 attempted murders and 2832 assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) cases.
It is unacceptable that these police stations are a recurring feature on the country’s top 30 rape and sexual offences list quarter after quarter. Thohoyandou also ranks on the top 30 stations for the 17 community-reported serious crimes, sexual assault, and contact crime. This highlights a lack of support and resources at these stations to improve their response.
“The brazen nature of some of these rape crimes is also a cause for concern as 202 of these incidents occurred in public places and 13 more incidents occurred in educational institutions, with ten in schools, two in special schools and one in tertiary institution,” explained Phala.
The statistics also show that domestic violence continues to be a serious societal issue, with the province recording eight murder cases, 9 attempted murder cases, 54 rape cases, 7 sexual assault cases, 395 assault GBH cases and 649 common assault cases as domestic violence related crimes.
“There is a need for a concerted effort and greater resources to address the high numbers of sexual offences and domestic violence. The DA is committed to ensuring that the provincial government and SAPS are held accountable in addressing the current unacceptable culture of rape and domestic violence related crimes in the province,” she said.
In the national crime statistics, Limpopo had four police stations, namely; Mankweng, Thohoyandou, Giyani and Seshego that ranked in the top 30 stations nationwide for rape offences, with Mankweng ranked 3rd , Thohoyandou ranked 6th , Giyani ranked 23rd and Seshego ranked 27th . These police stations were also ranked in the top 30 for sexual offences.
