Buffalo City Metro’s alarming rise in domestic violence and rape cases has drawn the attention of parliament, with the Cambridge police station emerging as the epicentre of the crisis.
During the 2024/2025 financial year, the metro recorded the highest number of rape and domestic violence cases in the Eastern Cape.
In the last financial year, BCM registered 840 cases of gender-based violence, with 399 at the Cambridge police station alone.
With four months left in the current financial year, Cambridge has already logged 317 cases, prompting concern from both police and parliamentary delegates during an oversight briefing at the station this week.
The provincial head of the family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) unit, Brigadier Cebo Khonza, told the delegation that the escalation required urgent attention.
Masimanyane Women’s Rights director Dr Lesley-Ann Foster said the spike was both shocking and surprising.
She said the NGO had previously closed its domestic violence unit at the Cambridge police station because there had been too few cases.
“We ran an office there which we actually closed because we weren’t seeing enough people,” Foster said.
“There seems to be some validity to the stats because the Human Sciences Research Council is showing that the Eastern Cape has double the number of domestic violence cases of any province in the country.
“I’m sure the station has been doing some outreach programmes, and the reason why domestic violence is increasing is because of high levels of crime, inequality, unemployment and all those social problems.”
The Cambridge police station previously dealt with several high-profile domestic violence cases, including that of a 32-year-old woman who was allegedly beaten and bitten by her boyfriend in 2019 and went into hiding, and another involving a 33-year-old woman allegedly strangled to death and hidden under a bed.
Both cases went before court.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said there were designated police officials responsible for GBV in all provincial police stations.
Mawisa said the presentation was only for Cambridge without comparing it with other stations.
“The SAPS is not at liberty to comment on statistics before the release of crime statistics by the MEC for community safety and transport,” she said.
Children’s rights activist Petrus Majola said officials had been ignoring NGOs’ calls for intervention.
“We [NGOs] have been in and out of BCM and have been reporting these incidents. Local politicians have been ignoring these and expect the premier to take action.
“These femicide and GBV cases have been happening in BCM for some time and we need more breakdowns of these areas to help authorities make an intervention,” he said.
Earlier in the week, the committee met at Mdantsane’s Nonkqubela TB Hospital, where the provincial social development department reported that 1,118 cases of sexual abuse against children aged five to 18 were recorded during 2024/2025.
The Eastern Cape ranked fourth nationally for reported child sexual abuse and statutory rape cases, with Nelson Mandela Bay recording the highest numbers, followed by OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Chris Hani.
A report presented by provincial police revealed that of 33 statutory rape cases reported in the province this financial year, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had declined to prosecute 11.
Five more were withdrawn in court, one was found to be falsified by the victim, three perpetrators were prosecuted, and 13 cases were still before court.
The NPA said it faced challenges securing convictions because many victims were unwilling to co-operate.
NPA senior state advocate Mzoxolo Rusi told parliament’s portfolio committee on women, youth and people with disabilities, that in most statutory rape cases, the victims were not the complainants.
“In most cases, the complainants are families,” he said.
Committee members expressed shock at the number of withdrawals.
The NPA’s chief prosecutor, Vuyokazi Xalisa, said family influence often led to the collapse of cases.
“We don’t withdraw a case because we feel like withdrawing a case. Sometimes the victims are influenced by their families; the victims run away,” she said.
Rusi said statutory rape was sometimes driven by poverty.
“If we define statutory rape, those people are in love, but one is older than the other one. One is in a consenting state and the other is not, but they are in love,” he said.
“Then those who have means, those are the perpetrators because they give the victims gifts and manipulate the young ones.
“To get the minors to co-operate with the justice system is a challenge because in most cases, if not all, the complainants are not the victims. The complainant is a third party, such as the mother.”
The NPA report showed a 90% conviction rate for rape cases that made it to court, with the Northern Cape achieving the country’s highest at 94%.
Of the 33 statutory rape cases this year, 22 involved girls aged 14 to 15, seven involved 13-year-olds, and three involved 12-year-olds.
A 14-year-old boy from Patensie was the only male victim.
Seven of the cases were reported in Buffalo City Metro, three of them from Duncan Village.
Masimanyane Women’s Rights project co-ordinator Farida Myburgh said clear reporting systems were needed in schools and clinics.
Daily Dispatch
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