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Police in KwaZulu-Natal have arrested 13-thousand-164 suspects for different categories.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) reports from the past five years show that 158 South African Police Service (SAPS) members have been convicted of crimes, including murder, rape, corruption, GBV, and torture.
On Friday, the Gauteng provincial Portfolio Committee on Community Safety expressed outrage over allegations that 27 of the 95 SAPS members reported to the IPID for sexual violence in 2024/2025 are from the province. Rape cases reported to the IPID increased by 35 percent for the Gauteng province compared to the previous report year of 2023/2024.
Rape convictions in the police service
According to the 2024/2025 annual report of the IPID, of the 27 cases of rape by police officers reported for the year, eight of the cases were referred to the NPA for criminal prosecution. A broader look over five years between 2020-2024 for the country, shows that 11 SAPS members were convicted for “rape by a police officer on/off duty”, with the Western Cape leading with five convictions, followed by Gauteng with three convictions.
One case, initially reported to the IPID in 2015, saw one officer from the Moroka Police Station get life imprisonment in the 2021/2022 reporting year— and another case reported to the IPID in 2016 at the Springs Police Station saw one police officer sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
One recent case reported in the 2024/2025 IPID report saw two police officers from the Cambridge Police Station in the Eastern Cape get 25 years’ imprisonment for rape and five years for sexual assault for a case reported to the IPID in 2021.
“Such conduct constitutes a serious betrayal of public trust and fundamentally undermines confidence in law enforcement institutions. The Portfolio Committee unequivocally condemns these alleged actions,” said Portfolio Committee on Community Safety Chairperson, Bandile Masuku on Friday. “Any involvement in acts of sexual violence is wholly incompatible with the duties and responsibilities of policing and must be met with swift, decisive, and visible consequences.”
Infographic |158 SAPS members convicted in 5 years
The interactive infographic below shows all the 158 convicted SAPS members, their stations and the final convictions handed down after lengthy criminal prosecutions.
