The Northern Cape has suffered another increase in crime, worsened by acts of violence against women and children. This is according to the crime statistics for the last consecutive two quarters, as released today.
With incidents of brutal crime reflected daily in our local media, it is no surprise that contact crime continued to increase during the last quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year and into the first quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year.
The Galeshewe SAPS station is ranked sixth in the top 30 stations for attempted murder while Roodepan SAPS station also finds itself positioned on the top 30 list for attempted murder in the country. Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, reflected a cumulative increase of 387 cases over the past two quarters with Galeshewe SAPS station also ranked on the top 30 list for this crime category.
Kidnapping is also on the rise, recording nine counts higher in the 4th quarter, with two cases of kidnapping for ransom noted in the first quarter.
The lives of women and children are particularly at increased risk, given the ongoing rise in sexual offences. Between January and March 2024, this crime category increased with 39 cases. There was also an alarming rate of reported rape cases during this period, reflecting an increase from 257 to 297, placing the Northern Cape with the third highest rape ratio in the country.
The DA is worried that SAPS members are increasingly implicated in cases of Gender-Based Violence. In the last week alone, a former Kimberley SAPS Tactical Response Team constable was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Galeshewe Regional Court for raping his daughter. A high-ranking SAPS official attached to the Kimberley Flying Squad, is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl but has yet to be apprehended.
It is an indictment to the safety of women and children that the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola has failed to report to the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature’s Safety Committee since her appointment in 2022.
The DA already submitted our request for Otola to appear before the committee on a quarterly basis and we will reiterate our call for her to present the plan to address GBVF. The Seventh Legislature should not remain quiet on the dangers women and children are facing in our province, especially as it increases year-on-year.