Cachalia outlines fresh strategies to combat gender-based violence

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced a comprehensive evaluation of police strategies to combat the rising tide of gender-based violence, following alarming crime statistics that reveal regional increases in sexual offences and femicide. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia announced on Friday that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will kick off a thorough review of its strategies to tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). This comes right after the release of the third-quarter crime stats for 2025 and follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of GBVF as a “national disaster” last year.

Minister Cachalia said that despite recording a marginal national decrease in overall sexual offences and reported rape cases for the period covering October 1 to December 31, 2025, there were alarming regional increases. Cachalia, echoing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation Address, confirmed that public safety, with a sharp focus on organised crime and GBVF, is now the government’s paramount priority. “The classification of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster demands that we intensify our efforts to deal with this,” Cachalia stated.

However, he also acknowledged the complexity of the challenge, noting that much of this violence occurs “in private, intimate contexts”, which public law enforcement action alone struggles to address. The minister has initiated an official review of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) strategies and tasked Deputy Police Minister, Dr Polly Boshielo, with support from the Civilian Secretariat, to lead a comprehensive evaluation. This evaluation is specifically aimed at pinpointing the most significant and deep-seated shortcomings in SAPS’s current approach.

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“We are taking our cue from the president to prioritise this matter,” the minister said, emphasising the need for immediate action. “We are taking steps to strengthen the policing approach to GBV and other forms of violence.” Major General Tulare Sukune, SAPS Registrar, presented the detailed figures, which showed a marginal national decrease in overall sexual offences and reported rape cases for the quarter, though several provinces recorded alarming increases. “Moving on to sexual offences, we have recorded a reduction of 426 counts less compared to the previous comparable period,” Major General Sukune reported.

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