Barry Streek and Paul Kirk
The Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete says more than 152 000 rapes and attempted rapes in South Africa were reported to the police in the three years between 1997 and 1999 almost 140 a day.
Most reported rapes and attempted rapes per province took place in Gauteng, 36 657 over the three-year period, 24% of the total.
Tshwete provided these figures in reply to a question which was tabled in the National Assembly by Sheila Camerer of the Democratic Alliance.
Over the three years, 26 038 rapes and attempted rapes (17,1%) were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, 20 514 (13,4%) in the Eastern Cape, 19 522 (12,8%) in the Western Cape, 13?856 (9,1%) in the North-West, 11?405 (7,5%) in the Northern Province, 10 832 (7,1%) in the Free State, 9 431 (6,2%) in Mpumalanga and 4 433 (2,9%) in the Northern Province.
Tshwete said no statistics on rapes and attempted rapes after December 1999 could be released because of the moratorium he had placed on the release of crime statistics.
The National Network on Violence Against Women says the moratorium has had the effect of making it extremely difficult for member organisations to compile research and in so doing focus their resources.
According to Kamotelo Lekubub-Wilderson of the network, while some of the member groups of the network were able to access crime statistics informally, the moratorium made it difficult for some to do their work. She pointed out how important statistics were to anti-rape groups by using the example of an Eastern Cape organisation.
The East London-based Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre compiled extensive research on rape and sexual offences in the East London area immediately before the moratorium was announced.
According to Lesley-Ann Foster of the centre, these statistics were then presented to Parliament’s committee on the quality of life and status of women.
Said Foster: “We were told that, as a direct result of this work, the ministers of justice and safety and security were called before the committee and some serious action was taken.
“A sexual offences court was set up to hear outstanding cases and private attorneys and legal practicioners were sworn in to help alleviate the work load. That is an example of what can be done using research and statistics.
“At the moment we are not doing any research, but clearly anyone doing so desperately needs those statistics,” says Foster.