Pretoria: The South African Police Service (SAPS) continues to make decisive strides in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), bringing 2 284 sexual offenders to justice during the month of August - observed annually as Women's Month. Through the relentless work of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units, suspects were arrested for crimes that include rape, sexual assault, abduction, attempted rape, and other related offences.
According to South African Police Service, the highest number of arrests were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (427), followed by Gauteng (380) and the Eastern Cape (317). There are 176 FCS Units across the country with a Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Unit on national level and within each province. These specialised teams are mandated to investigate, trace, and arrest perpetrators of sexual crimes, person-directed crimes, illegal removal of persons, and electronic media-facilitated crimes.
Notable convictions include the sentencing of 25-year-old Sara Phethe Simiao by the High Court in Gauteng Local Division to two life terms for the rape and murder of six-year-old Amantle Samane in Orlando East. In the Northern Cape, the Fraserburg Regional Court sentenced a 37-year-old man to four life terms for repeatedly sexually abusing his 13-year-old stepdaughter. In Limpopo, the Nkowankowa Regional Court sentenced Rady Bayiza Makhubele (46) to two life terms plus eight years for raping, assaulting, and exposing pornography to minors. He lured three children to his home where he abused them. Moreover, the Ulundi Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal sentenced Sibusiso Khanyile (43) to life imprisonment for raping a 20-year-old woman in Mahlabathini in 2022.
These successes are a testament to SAPS's unwavering commitment to protect women, children, and other vulnerable members of society - not just during Women's Month, but every day of the year.