Concerns over ‘under-reporting’ of rape in Harare

ToBeConfirmed

ToBeConfirmed

Published Mar 5, 2023

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ACTIVISTS say even though Harare police station is in first and second place when it comes to sexual offences and rape, the figure could be even higher due to under-reporting.

This is the third part of Weekend Argus’s series looking at neighbourhoods where the police stations are in the top 30 in the country’s high crime rates.

The latest crime statistics from October to December showed that the Harare police station featured prominently for murder, sexual offences and rape.

Harare SAPS is one of three police stations in Khayelitsha, servicing Makhaza, Harare and Ndlovini areas.

Sanco chairperson Myolisi Magibisela said rape victims should be protected from the perpetrators after reporting the case. Picture: Mandilakhe Tshwete

South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) chairperson Myolisi Magibisela said the figures do not accurately depict what was happening, rape and sexual offences where under reported.

“We have received a lot of complaints from women in the last few months.

“In the last few weeks we had similar incidents where women would be walking at night and three armed men would take their victim and rape her,” Magibisela said.

“When we ask them to go to the police station and report, they say they are scared and there’s nothing we can do. It’s sad that they would rather live with the trauma of rape than trust the justice system,” he said.

Magibisela called on government to improve on the protection of victims.

“Most of the perpetrators are known to the victims and they fear they might come back and kill them, especially when they had guns.

“The victims must be protected, especially because they are attacked by people they know. And the suspects are usually arrested some time after the incident or they appear in court once and they are released.

Magibisela said they usually hold their own imbizos to discuss safety and security in Makhaza, but that still has not stemmed increasing incidents of rape.

“We have had meetings and awareness campaigns and feel that people should know by now the dangers of walking alone at night and also to come forward when something happens.

“We fear that people will get frustrated to the point where they will kill the perpetrators and the shortage of vans and officers is making people very angry,” he said.

The community leader added that Harare needs more police.

“It’s clear that the Harare police station is too small and incapacitated to deal with all the areas.

“And there are all these new informal settlements and that then tells you that crime incidents have increased too. The police station in Makhaza should have been built a long time ago especially for the police visibility,” he said.

Funeka Soldaat is planning on engaging with tavern owners about the safety of their female patrons. Picture: File

Makhaza community policing forum chairperson Funeka Soldaat said alcohol played a big role in rape cases.

“Women are attacked when they are either walking home from a tavern or raped by a man who bought her alcohol. A woman will leave the shebeen late at night and then meet trouble on her way home,” she said.

Soldaat said they also hold workshops where they teach young people how to behave.

“We are busy preparing for a dialogue on March 9, we will look into gender-based violence (GBV). We also plan on going to taverns and engaging with owners about the closing time and safety of their patrons,” Soldaat added.

Siya Monakali from Ilitha Labantu, an organisation that advocates for women and children, said they were concerned about the high prevalence of violence against women in Khayelitsha, particularly in Harare.

“A number of compounding issues, including a lack of adequate police resources to actively fight crime and GBV, insufficient training for police when it comes to administering cases related to GBV and a culture of lawlessness contribute to the poor conviction rate of perpetrators and justice for victims and survivors,” he said.

Monakali added that more concerted efforts were required to play an active role in eliminating the scourge of sexual violence in Harare.

“The police cannot do it alone, the faith-based sector, traditional sector, local government and councillors, government departments like social development, NGOs and the community need to come together and build consensus as to how all these sectors will play an active role in helping to eradicate this scourge,” he concluded.

Weekend Argus