Alex CPF concerned about GBV victims’ reluctance to press charges
Although Alexandra Police Station is among 30 stations in South Africa with the highest recorded cases of sexual offences and rape, CPF reveals that some GBV victims are reluctant to press charges against their abusers.
South Africa is gripped by a gender-based violence (GBV epidemic, with at least 33.1% of women over 18 having experienced physical violence in their lifetime.
This is according to the Human Sciences Research Council study on GBV. In Alexandra, where sexual offences and rape cases are high, the Alex Community Policing Forum said GBV was concerning, yet most victims refused to press charges because of poverty and in some instances, care for their abusers.
Read more: Community safety stakeholders strategise for an effective GBV campaign
Also read: Activists reach out to male GBV victims in Alex
Alexandra Police Station appears on the list of top 30 stations countrywide with the high number of recorded sexual offences and rape cases. According to the latest SAPS crime statistics for Q3 of 2024/2025, the station ranks 19th in the country for sexual offences and 21st for rape cases. The stats further reveal that the recorded crimes, especially rape, disproportionately affects women as opposed to men.
Despite efforts made by community safety groups to tackle GBV in Alex, the chairperson of the CPF Sarah Matomeamohale said some challenges remained. “We hear issues around GBV every day, but the community is silent. We have a problem of people not reporting, when they do not report, or when they report but do not want us to arrest the person, what can we do?” she noted, adding that they now kept records of GBV victims who refused to open cases.
Highlighting reasons why some victims refuse to press charges against perpetrators, she explained that victims who were unemployed and living in poverty were fearful of their survival if they aggravated the abusive breadwinner. So, they resolve to suffer behind closed doors.
Matomeamohale said it became even more difficult when victims were abused by their children. “A person will come bleeding, but she would refuse to press charges and say, ‘I don’t want you to arrest him. I only want you to reprimand him.’”
She said this made it increasingly difficult to protect victims of GBV. As Alexandra prepares for a GBV awareness campaign on May 23, Matomeamohale hopes the community will join in the fight.
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