Parliament, Wednesday, 29 October 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is set to embark on a public participation process this week, conducting public hearings and stakeholder engagements to address the crisis of statutory rape in South Africa.
In response to the crisis affecting young girls in South Africa, the public hearings follow a National Assembly resolution agreed upon on 27 August 2024 and 22 July 2025.
Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ms Liezl van der Merwe said the hearings will raise awareness, review existing legislation and recommend amendments to enforce mandatory reporting of statutory rape.
The first leg of the stakeholder engagement will start in Gauteng, followed by the Eastern Cape. From there, hearings will move to Parliament.
The objectives of the hearings are to:
- Establish the prevalence of statutory rape of young girls and identify challenges related to data accuracy and reliability.
- Gain a coherent understanding of the requirements and challenges of mandatory reporting.
- Determine necessary measures to enforce mandatory reporting of statutory rape.
The public hearings will allow stakeholders to share insights regarding the prevalence of statutory rape and the challenges associated with reporting such incidents. The second phase will consist of public hearings in Parliament, where chairpersons will lead sessions to gather input from relevant stakeholders, focusing on legislative reviews and recommendations.
Following the stakeholder engagements, the committee will draft a report outlining findings and recommendations for legislative amendments and improved reporting mechanisms. This report will be submitted to the National Assembly to ensure that findings and recommendations are considered for further action.
The committee encourages all stakeholders, community members, and organisations concerned with child welfare to actively participate in these engagements.
Attached is the programme for the first round of public hearings : https://tinyurl.com/5b9v7rf4
Details of the public hearings:
Date: 31 October 2025 and 1 November 2025
Time: 09:00 – 17:00pm
Venue: Premier Hotel OR Tambo
Parliamentary committees are open to the media and the public. Journalists wishing to attend the public hearings should RSVP and send their details to Ms Yoliswa Landu on email ylandu@parliament.gov.za
Members of the public may follow sittings live on Parliament TV (DStv Channel 408), via live stream on Parliament YouTube channel and Twitter page on the links below. You may subscribe to the Parliament YouTube channel to receive instant notification of live feeds.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParliamentofRSA
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ParliamentofRSA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ParliamentofRSA
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, MS LIEZL VAN DER MERWE.
For media inquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Yoliswa Landu (Ms)
Cell: 081 497 4694
E-mail: ylandu@parliament.gov.za
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