Incidence
Sexual offences and rape
SAPS Crime Statistics 2023/24; NPA Annual Report 2023/24
42,289
Rapes reported to police
2023/24 financial year. Includes rape and compelled rape.
9,756
Sexual assault cases reported
2023/24. Excludes rape figures above.
115+
Rapes reported per day
Based on reported figures. True incidence is estimated to be far higher.
~1 in 10
Estimated reporting rate
MRC research estimates fewer than 1 in 10 rapes are reported to police in South Africa.
Rapes reported, 5-year trendSAPS Crime Statistics annual reports
+21.4%
Increase from 2019/20 to 2023/24From 34,786 to 42,289 reported rapes
+7,503
Contact sexual offences reported, 2023/24Includes rape, sexual assault, compelled acts
53,350
Rapes of children under 18, 2023/24SAPS disaggregated figures
13,476
Sources: SAPS Crime Statistics 2023/24 (saps.gov.za); Medical Research Council of South Africa, Gender and Health Research Unit.
Femicide
Women killed by intimate partners and others
MRC Femicide Study 2022; SAPS 2023/24
5x
SA femicide rate vs global average
South Africa's femicide rate is approximately five times the global average. MRC, 2022.
2,988
Women murdered, 2023/24
SAPS murder statistics disaggregated by sex. Does not capture unreported killings.
57%
Intimate partner femicides
MRC study: 57% of women murdered in South Africa are killed by an intimate partner.
~8
Women killed per day
Based on SAPS 2023/24 murder statistics disaggregated by sex.
Sources: MRC South Africa, "Femicide in South Africa" (2022); SAPS Annual Crime Report 2023/24.
Criminal justice
What happens after a report is made
NPA Annual Report 2023/24; SAPS 2023/24
<5%
Rape cases resulting in conviction
Estimated conviction rate across all rapes including unreported cases. NPA / MRC data.
9,241
Sexual offence convictions, 2023/24
NPA Annual Report 2023/24. Includes all sexual offences categories.
72.4%
Conviction rate (of cases prosecuted)
NPA conviction rate for sexual offences brought to court. The gap between this and <5% reflects attrition before prosecution.
High
Case attrition before prosecution
Most cases are withdrawn or decline before reaching court. No single published national figure exists.
Sexual offences enrolled for prosecution, 2023/24NPA Annual Report
12,762
Cases finalised in court, 2023/24NPA Annual Report
12,756
Sexual Offences Courts in operation, 2024Department of Justice; Thuthuzela Care Centres
59
Thuthuzela Care Centres operational, 2024NPA / TCC Programme
55
Sources: NPA Annual Report 2023/24 (npa.gov.za); Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
Forensic evidence
The DNA backlog
SAPS Annual Report 2024/25
232,697
DNA cases overdue for analysis
SAPS Annual Report 2024/25. Cases awaiting analysis beyond prescribed timeframes.
566,774
Total DNA exhibits awaiting analysis
SAPS Annual Report 2024/25. All exhibit categories at FSL.
No law
No mandatory testing obligation
South Africa has no legislation equivalent to the US SAFE-T Act requiring all rape kits to be tested.
None
No survivor kit-tracking portal
No public-facing system exists to allow survivors to check the status of their forensic kit.
Sources: SAPS Annual Report 2024/25; Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police, Forensic Science Laboratory briefings 2023/24.
Provincial breakdown
Rapes reported by province, 2023/24
SAPS Crime Statistics 2023/24
Source: SAPS Crime Statistics 2023/24 (April 2023 to March 2024), released September 2024.
NSP accountability
National Strategic Plan on GBVF: target vs. reality
GBVF-NSP 2020-2030; GBVF Response Fund; Parliamentary monitoring
| NSP Target / Commitment | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GBVF Response Fund fully capitalised (R21bn over 10 years) | Off track | Fund remains severely undercapitalised; private sector pledges have not materialised at target scale. |
| Shelters for GBV survivors meeting demand in every province | Off track | South Africa has fewer than 60 state-funded shelters for a population of 62 million. Demand far outstrips capacity. |
| Sexual Offences Courts in all major jurisdictions | Partial | 59 operational courts as of 2024, but coverage is uneven and many closed after post-2007 downscaling were never replaced. |
| Thuthuzela Care Centres expanded nationally | Partial | 55 TCCs operational by 2024; NSP targets a TCC accessible within 60 minutes for all survivors, not yet achieved. |
| Integrated information management system for GBV cases | Not achieved | No integrated cross-department case tracking system exists. Data sharing between SAPS, NPA and DSD remains fragmented. |
| GBV Courts with dedicated prosecutors and magistrates | Partial | Sexual offences courts designated but resource allocation inconsistent. Dedicated prosecutor posts not filled in all courts. |
| Economic empowerment fund for survivors | Not achieved | No dedicated national survivor economic empowerment fund has been established under the NSP framework. |
| GBVF listed as a national disaster (Presidential declaration) | Done | President Ramaphosa declared GBVF a national crisis in 2019 and reiterated in subsequent State of the Nation Addresses. |
Sources: GBVF-NSP 2020-2030 (gov.za); GBVF Response Fund annual report; Parliamentary Monitoring Group committee reports.
Context
South Africa in international perspective
WHO; UNODC Global Study on Homicide 2023; MRC
SA femicide rate vs global averageMRC 2022; WHO global femicide data
5x higher
SA overall murder rate per 100,000UNODC 2023; among the highest globally
~45
Global average murder rate per 100,000UNODC Global Study on Homicide 2023
~6
Women who experienced physical or sexual violence in SA (lifetime)WHO multi-country study; SA national survey data
~1 in 3
UN classification of SA's GBVF crisisUN Women; UNDP South Africa country reports
Pandemic
Sources: WHO Global and Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women (2021); UNODC Global Study on Homicide 2023; MRC South Africa femicide study.