Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia says the SAPS is reviewing its crime data systems to prevent errors when recording cases involving women and children at police station level.
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Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia reveals that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is working on a new system to improve the accuracy of crime statistics related to women and children, amidst ongoing concerns about gender-based violence (GBV).
Cachalia was responding to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Lisa-Maré Schickerling, IOL reported.
She asked about the national crisis of gender-based violence and the challenges in tracking these crimes, asking: “What steps has the SAPS taken to introduce a dedicated gender-based violence marker in the official crime statistics? And by what date will the marker be fully implemented and publicly reported on?”
In his reply, Cachalia acknowledged that SAPS has faced challenges with the integrity of women and children’s crime statistics, stating that: “Publishing such would mislead the public and policy makers.”
He noted that these concerns were the reason the statistics were removed from the quarterly crime reports and that a detailed explanation had been shared with the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police and published on the SAPS website.
Cachalia explained that the National Commissioner has set up a dedicated team to review the system and prevent errors at the entry point in police stations, as data on crimes against women and children is “not always properly captured at the entry point.”
Part of the solution involves a system enhancement that is still under development, he said.
Cachalia added that the statistics will only be included in quarterly releases once all processes, including development, testing, and statistical quality assessments, are complete and the data is certified as fit for use.
“There is no definite date that can be provided at this time; it is, therefore, reasonable to indicate that the necessary time be provided for all statistical considerations to be satisfied,'' he said.
The issue comes as gender-based violence continues to be a major concern in South Africa.
IOL previously reported that the country’s femicide rate is estimated to be about five times higher than the global average, while research by the Human Sciences Research Council found that 33.1% of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical violence in their lifetime, and nearly 10% have experienced sexual violence.
Recent crime statistics also highlight the scale of the crisis. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 42,569 rape cases were reported to police, and 5,578 women were killed during the same period.
In more recent figures released during 2025, more than 19,000 rapes were reported between April and September alone, highlighting the persistent levels of gender-based violence across the country.
In November 2025, the government officially classified gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster following intensifying nationwide protests and growing concern over the abuse of women and children.