The South African Police Service (SAPS) is intensifying interventions to combat and prevent gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in the country.
As part of a 90-day blitz to combat GBVF, the SAPS through investigation and numerous tracing operations arrested 100 rape suspects and 16 suspects for attempted rape in the past week.
Most of the arrests were recorded in Gauteng.
Police also arrested 67 wanted rape suspects tracked down in various provinces, highlighting the SAPS’s unwavering commitment to tackling GBVF.
The SAPS continues to prioritise the investigation and prosecution of GVBF cases, including securing lengthy prison sentences for convicted perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide.
Recently, the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit members successfully secured notable convictions for perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide in the various courts across the country.
This as on 24 June 2025, the Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced a 45-year-old man to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of multiple counts of rape of a minor in October 2023.
Meanwhile, the Sasolburg Magistrates’ Court sentenced 30-year-old Tumelo Christian Khotha to an effective 26 years’ imprisonment for the rape and assault of a girl who was 17 years old at the time of the incident in March 2022.
Additionally, police secured life sentences for a 48-year-old grandfather and a 45-year-old uncle in isolated cases of rape and sexual abuse. On 11 June 2025, the Mtubatuba Regional Court found the grandfather guilty of raping his grandchild since 2020 at her home in Dukuduku. In another case, the Mtubatuba Regional Court found an uncle guilty for sexually abusing his niece, who is a minor, at Ezibayeni.
In addition, the Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced a 29-year-old Chef Andre Meyer to three years in prison with a five-year suspended sentence for creating pornography. The accused photographed a 12-year-old boy while relieving himself in the school toilet.
“The SAPS remains dedicated to protecting children’s rights and ensuring justice for victims of sexual crimes, especially women, children and people living with disabilities,” the police said. – SAnews.gov.za
