Rape figures hit 9-year low

2003-09-22 16:03

Cape Town - The number of reported rapes in South Africa is the lowest it has been for almost a decade, and fractionally below the level it was in 1994, according to the latest South African Police Service annual report, released on Monday.

According to the document, there were 115,3 rapes per 100 000 of the country's population during 2002/03. This equates to about 52 000 rapes a year.

The report covers the period April 1, 2002, to March 31 this year. It defines rape as "unlawful and intentional sexual intercourse with a female without her consent".

"The rape ratio has reached its lowest level since 1994/95 during the 2002/03 financial year," it states.

The figure for the previous year (2001/02) was 121.8 per 100 000. The 1994/95 figure was 115.8 per 100 000, the lowest figure over the past nine years.

According to the report, the police's anti-rape strategy has identified "flashpoints of rape" in various areas.

Provincially, most rapes took place in Gauteng (23.2%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (18%) and the Western Cape (12.5%).

The policing areas with the highest number of reported rapes - five percent of the total - is Marico, in North West province.

This is followed by Pretoria (4.7%), Cape Town's Eastern Metropole (4%), the East Rand (3.8%) and Durban North (3.7%).

The report also says the police station precinct with the highest number of reported rapes is Khayelitsha, Cape Town.

The report addresses what it calls the "issue of under-reporting of rape and the general perception that South Africa has the highest rape ratio in the world".

It says despite allegations that only one out of every 35 rapes are reported to the police, surveys show at least one out of every three rapes are in fact reported.

Further, people should be extremely cautious when comparing South Africa's rape figures with those from other countries, because "definitions of rape differ widely".

Among the reports other findings on rape are:

a total of 45% of those arrested for rape tested positive for HIV;

between 40 and 60% of rape cases were withdrawn at the request of the victim;

a total of 14.2% of rape victims were in the age group 0-12 years;

nearly 90% of the rapists were known by their victims before the offence occurred.

- SAPA