Cops nab 21 rape suspects
23/11/2006 12:25  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - Twenty-one rape suspects were arrested by the police's family, child and sexual offences unit in Mthatha this week, Eastern Cape police said on Wednesday.

"This is one of the biggest breakthrough just for a week... Indeed this is the most successful achievement while we are just a foot (away from) the launch of 16 days of activism on No Violence Against Women and Children," said Superintendent Nondumiso Jafta.

The arrests happened between last Wednesday, and Tuesday of this week.

"In most of these incidents the victims are children or young girls where they will be frightened and will not be in the position to identify the suspects but through the skills and intensive investigations they have managed to detect and arrest the suspects," said Jafta.

People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) spokesperson Carrie Shelver said the arrest of a suspect in a rape case is the first step in a long road to achieving justice.

"What we have to ask is how many of these cases actually get to a point of sentencing or judgment, arrest is an important but small part of the process," she said.

Many will be convicted

An indication of how many rape cases actually reach conviction should be made available by the department of justice, said Shelver.

Noting that "only about seven percent are ever convicted," Shelver said some cases were not prosecuted because of poor evidence.

"... even if a case gets to court it may get struck from the roll for a number of reasons, for which the prosecution themselves are to blame at times."

Powa will make recommendations to government on how some of the problems in dealing with rape cases can be avoided during the upcoming 16 days of activism, which begin on Saturday.

Some of those arrested have appeared in court and Jafta said she believed many will be convicted based on the evidence collected by the detectives.

"An 18-year-old was sentenced in October to 16 years in prison for the rape of a 60-year-old woman in August," she concluded.