The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to demand the latest statistics and detailed information on rape allegations against South African Police Service (SAPS) officers.
The DA will further demand a comprehensive status update on the most recent cases, including how many officers have been suspended, arrested, dismissed, or referred for prosecution. South Africans deserve to know what has happened to these cases and whether justice is being pursued.
This intervention follows deeply disturbing figures over the past three years. In 2022/2023, 122 rape cases were reported against SAPS officers. This was followed by 110 cases in 2023/2024 and a further 97 cases in 2024/2025, allegations of one of the most violent crimes imaginable, committed by those entrusted with protecting the public.
Of particular concern is that in 2023/2024, at least 58 alleged rapes were committed while officers were on duty and 52 while they were off duty. In 2024/2025, two alleged incidents occurred while victims were in police custody, representing an especially egregious abuse of power. Gauteng recorded the highest number of cases (27), followed by the Eastern Cape (16) and the Western Cape (15), confirming that this is a national crisis rather than isolated misconduct.
It cannot be acceptable in any democratic society that those tasked with enforcing the law are themselves accused of violating it in such egregious ways. Every allegation represents the betrayal of public trust.
The DA continues to push for honest policing by professional police who make communities safer, and bad police, among them who rape and commit crime, must be weeded out.
Police officers who commit rape must be treated like any other criminal. They must be investigated without fear or favour, prosecuted without delay, and dismissed from SAPS if found guilty.
The DA will continue to use every parliamentary mechanism available to ensure that SAPS and IPID are held accountable. South Africans deserve a police service that protects them, not one they must fear.
Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbite by Lisa Schickerling MP.