SAPS Arrested Almost 4000 Suspects for Rape Between October 2024 and January 2025

• The South African Police Service revealed that the police arrested almost 4000 suspects for rape and attempted rape for four months
• The statistics covered the period between October 2024 and January 2024, and this includes 685 gender-based violence and Femicide perpetrators who were convicted
• Some South Africans believed that a large chunk of those who were arrested were falsely accused

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

JOHANNESBURG — The South African Police Service (SAPS)'s National Commissioner Fanie Masemola said that the police arrested just under 4000 suspects for rape and attempted rape since October 2024. South Africans believed that many of them were falsely accused.

Rape states between October and January 2025

According to SABC News, the police arrested 3983 suspects who were accused of rape and attempted rape. Masemola also revealed that 685 gender-based violence perpetrators were convicted between October 2024 and December 2024. He said 110 gender-based violence perpetrators were sentenced to life, 330 were sentenced to up to nine years in prison and 71 were sentenced to 20 years and above.

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Gender-based violence cases that rocked SA

• The South African Police Service in Limpopo arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly raping two nurses in Ga-Chuene outside Polokwane in January
• The police arrested a 35-year-old man for impregnating a 13-year-old girl who gave birth in Seshego, Polokwane, on 25 December 2024
• A Malawian national appeared in court after he was arrested for allegedly gang-raping a teenager in Mpumalanga

South Africans share views

Some netizens on Facebook believed that a large number of the arrests were false accusations.

Sandulela Phalela said:

"Half of those were a result of men who found themselves in bed with drunk women and both of them didn't have money in the morning."

Limey Marizma Mdevah said:

"80% of them are innocent men."

Mnr Willy Sengwayo said:

"Some of them have been falsely accused."

Joseph Mosae said:

"3500 cases are Mavuso cases."

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Lucas Selowa said:

"3900 of them are false accusations."

Sex offenders register to be made public

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the National Sex Offenders Register will be available for the public to access by the end of February 2025. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi made the announcement recently.

Advocacy group Action Society welcomed the announcement. It hailed the decision as a step forward in ensuring that convicted sexual offenders are not given a chance to interact with women or children in private or professional spaces.

Source: Briefly News