Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police has raised the alarm over statutory rape cases in South Africa, after police revealed that more than half of reported cases were withdrawn.
According to police, 3 232 statutory rape cases were opened between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years.
Of these, 1 853 cases were withdrawn.
The committee said the numbers point to serious failures in policing, reporting and the justice system’s response to gender-based violence.
Committee chairperson Ian Cameron said the shortcomings were unacceptable, especially in a country facing high levels of rape and statutory rape.
Police Say Rape Charges Cannot be Dropped
Acting deputy national commissioner for crime detection, Lieutenant General Hilda Senthumule, told the committee that police officers are not allowed to let anyone withdraw a rape charge.
She said rape is treated as a crime against the state, meaning a complainant cannot simply choose to drop the case.
Senthumule said anyone who allows such cases to be withdrawn is acting unlawfully and should face disciplinary and legal consequences.
She told MPs that some families turn to informal resolutions, sometimes because they depend financially on the alleged perpetrator.
She also said threats, stigma and claims that the incident was consensual were among the reasons linked to withdrawn cases.
Silence Also Carries Consequences
Senthumule warned that failing to report statutory rape is also a crime.
She said people who do not report these cases can face up to 10 years in prison.
However, police currently do not have official data showing how many people have been charged for failing to report these crimes.
The committee has now asked SAPS for statistics on prosecutions and disciplinary action linked to non-reporting.
MPs Demand Stronger Action
EFF MP Leigh-Ann Mathys questioned why professionals such as teachers, social workers and medical workers were not reporting cases involving children.
She said children who fall pregnant often interact with government institutions, yet action is not always taken.
Mathys said rape should be treated with the same seriousness as murder.
Police also told MPs that fear, harmful cultural practices, economic dependence and lack of trust in the justice system continue to block reporting.
The committee has called for stronger public awareness campaigns, better resources for Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units and improved support for investigations.
Cameron said low conviction rates remain a major concern, warning that they weaken efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
I’m a writer, editor and software developer at Newsroom ZA.
I build things, break them (on purpose), then turn the chaos into clean, readable stories. You’ll usually find me bouncing between breaking news, politics and entertainment.