The South African Police Service’s fourth-quarter crime statistics for 2025/26 show an 8.5% decline in rape cases.
The figures indicate that 9 782 cases were recorded during the period under review, compared to 10 688 in the same quarter last year.
However, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) activist Norma Mbhele says the decline does not reflect the reality experienced by survivors on the ground. She argues that the figures only account for reported cases, while many incidents go unreported.
Mbhele says many survivors choose not to come forward due to a lack of trust and confidence in the criminal justice system.
“Do we see justice happening for those who reported? How many convictions do we have from the reported cases?” Mbhele asks.
Victim-friendly spaces
Mbhele says that, as an activist working closely with survivors, she has witnessed numerous instances that prevent victims from reporting cases.
According to her, survivors often face poor treatment from law enforcement officials. She adds that both victims and witnesses are frequently interrogated as though they are perpetrators when attempting to report cases, and that many police stations lack private, victim-friendly spaces.
She further states that foreign nationals in the country are also affected, particularly amid current immigration tensions, adding that even documented migrants are often treated differently and poorly simply because of their status as migrants.
“There’s an issue of language barrier; other migrants can’t speak native South African languages like Sesotho, IsiZulu and police officers will insist on speaking those languages.”
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‘Power and control’
Meanwhile, an expert in Sexual violence, Rape Culture, African feminism and feminist resistance and Professor Louise du Toit of Stellenbosch University says years of research show that rape is primarily about power and control rather than sexual desire.
“Perpetrators generally know full well that they are not ‘making love’ when they rape. Their intention is not erotic pleasure, but to hurt, to disempower, to humiliate, to punish,” says Du Toit.
She explains that ‘rape culture’ is supported through daily behaivours, jokes as well as ways of thinking about gender which normalise male sexual predation.
“We strengthen rape culture when we for example, blame victims for being raped, when we think perpetrators’, careers should weigh more than them being held accountable for sexual violence.”
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