KEY POINTS
- Gender-based violence continues despite protective roles of law enforcement.
- A police captain and a chief face serious rape allegations.
- Urgent actions are needed to stop gender-based violence in authority circles.
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency, has denounced gender-based violence perpetrated by law enforcement officials entrusted with safeguarding society’s most vulnerable populations.
Minister condemns gender-based violence by law enforcers
She voiced her displeasure following the arrests of a police trainer and a traditional chief who were both suspected of rape between May 5 and May 11.
Following the Cabinet Lekgotla, Ntshavheni gave a briefing to the media in Pretoria on Thursday, providing information on the recent high-profile arrests.
Among the defendants are a KwaZulu-Natal chief and a trainer from the Tshwane SAPS Academy, both of whom are tasked with community protection.
A 13-year-old boy from Mpumalanga was also among those arrested, underscoring the alarming prevalence of gender-based violence across all age levels.
According to Iol, the minister’s remarks come after the court postponed the case of the Tshwane police captain until May 23 in order to do additional research.
The same police officer is the subject of several alleged sexual assault investigations by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
The 59-year-old captain has been with SAPS for more than 30 years and teaches weapons at the Tshwane Police Academy.
At the police academy last month, he allegedly raped a 20-year-old female trainee after she passed him without saluting.
The officer charged the trainee of misbehavior for not properly saluting him, according to NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
On May 6, the officer allegedly summoned her to his office, locked the door, and threatened to sexually coerce her.
For the April saluting incident, he allegedly threatened to prosecute the trainee with misconduct unless they slept with him.
Unions demand safer spaces to combat gender-based violence
The rape claims have been denounced by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), which describes them as a breach of institutional trust.
Outraged, POPCRU President Thulani Ngwenya underlined the need of ethical training environments in law enforcement agencies.
Such training areas, according to Ngwenya, should foster ethics and discipline rather than turn into locations where nascent recruits fear being taken advantage of.
He went on to say that the union strongly opposes abuse of children by individuals in positions of power as well as gender-based violence.
