A Western Cape police sergeant called his cousin's girlfriend under the
pretext that her boyfriend wanted to see her.
On arrival at a house in Albertinia on Monday, the 22-year-old woman
found the policeman who was with another man.
The officer drove to a bushy area where he and the other man are alleged
to have raped her.
The officer has been arrested while his accomplice is still at large.
This is one of many cases of rape reported against the police across the
country. But the conviction rate in such cases is extremely low.
In a written parliamentary reply this week, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko
said 917 cases of rape involving police officers were reported from 2011 to an
unspecified date this year. Of these, 481 were referred to courts for
prosecution. There was a shocking conviction rate of only 60 cases.
Most of the alleged rapes had occurred in Western Cape, with 214 cases
reported and 113 referred to the courts. There were only 19 convictions.
DA shadow minister of police Dianne Kohler Bernard said there was
clearly miscommunication between the investigation and prosecution phases.
She said she would write to the chairs of portfolio committees on justice
and police, requesting joint sittings to scrutinise the reasons behind the
worryingly low conviction rate of SAPS members.
"If it is determined that the SAPS are not deliberately undermining
the judicial process, the joint committee must ascertain whether or not the NPA
[National Prosecuting Authority] is presented with well- investigated cases and
simply fails to properly prosecute.
"Every day that the causes of the unacceptably low conviction rates
are not dealt with, more SAPS sex offenders are getting away with this
abhorrent abuse," Bernard said.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesman Richard
Mamabolo said: "The conviction rate leaves little to be desired as the
police are supposed to be the first to create and guarantee a mood of safety
within our communities. We are of the view that these revelations [of abuse] by
a minority diminish communities' trust in the police service at the compromise
of our many dedicated police officers."
mashabas@sowetan.co.za
