Parliament, Thursday, 27 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities met with the station commander of Umlazi Police Station, the Rapid Response Team as well as other stakeholders to address concerns over reports of the high number of gender-based violence (GBV) crimes reported at the Umlazi Police Station.
During the engagement at the police station, the lack of capacity and resources, inaccessibility of the rapidly growing informal settlements; and withdrawal of cases were cited as among the contributing factors of the high rape and GBVF cases. The Station Commander of Umlazi Police Station, Brigadier Bonginkosi Nkabinde, conceded that the high crime statistics are concerning.
He stressed that the fight can be won through collaborative efforts with all relevant stakeholders to fight the scourge. In the SAPS third quarter report of the current financial year, KwaZulu Natal recorded 69 261 incidents ranging from contact crimes, sexual offences, rape, murder, kidnapping domestic violence and drug related crimes. Umlazi police station recorded the highest number of GBVF and rape cases.
The RRT presented various initiatives which have been successful in reducing the high crime stats and improve response time and they included strategic networking and collaborations with Community Policing Forums (CPF), Religious sector, GBVF and Rape survivors, Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC’s), social workers, street roamers etc.
The appointment of GBV activists in former hot spot areas and the strengthening of programmes that focus on prevention has been one of the recent successes of the RRT.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Liezl van der Merwe, commended the police station for transitioning to a digital system for managing dockets, known as the Integrated Case Docket Management System (ICDMS), to improve administration and justice delivery. She said: “This means there will no longer be cases of theft, manipulation, and sale of dockets.”
The committee continues with its oversight visit in the province tomorrow and it will also focus on teen pregnancy, the exclusion of children with disabilities from the educational system, and the insufficient implementation of the sanitary dignity programme.
It will also visit the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind and KwaZulu Natal Blind and Deaf Society tomorrow where it will engage with stakeholders. It will also engage with relevant stakeholders on the Dreams Priority Population Programme which focuses on teen pregnancy and economic empowerment of youth.
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: Nompumelelo Mokoena (Ms)
Cell: 083 607 7250
E-mail: nmokoena@parliament.gov.za
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