SA’s cops allegedly committed 58 acts of rape while on duty, reveals IPID
IPID spokesperson, Lizzy Suping said while there had been a decrease of 12 cases compared to the previous financial year, the number still remains high.
South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in formation. Picture: X/SAPoliceService
JOHANNESBURG - In one year, the country's police officers allegedly committed 58 acts of rape while on official duty.
In its recently released annual report, the police watchdog, Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), said a total of 110 cases of rape by police officers were reported to it.
At least 52 of those were allegedly committed by police while off duty.
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IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said while there had been a decrease of 12 cases compared to the previous financial year, the number remains high.
"It is very concerning to us because police officers are there to protect the nation so when it is them perpetrating or committing these acts, it becomes a worrying factor. As IPID, once we have conducted and concluded our investigations, because rape is a criminal offence, we need to ensure we refer the docket to the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] for a decision to prosecute."
Suping said another concern for IPID was suspects being raped by other suspects while in police custody; like holding cells.
In the year under review, seven such cases were reported to IPID, with five coming from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
"In such instances, we don't have such a high number but when it happens we need to find out what really happened because on a regular basis, officers have to go do cell inspections so we need to understand what happened."