Kathorus SAPS applauds communities
In most cases, the victims of these violent family assaults and abuse cases were mainly women, most of whom were found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged abuse, assault or rape.
The Kathorus SAPS cluster has applauded members of the community for their involvement in combating crime in the townships over the festive season.
Although he refused to be drawn into providing details of crime statistics for the Kathorus area for this period, the cluster’s media spokesperson, Captain Mega Ndobe, said the overall efforts by the police in combating serious crime during the festive season was outweighed by the overwhelming number of domestic crimes. Most of these crimes were fanned by the rampant abuse of alcohol and irresponsible drinking.
“That was our biggest headache in which we saw the bulk of our public crime policing efforts and manpower being redirected to domestic and family violence instead of being totally focused on the more serious crimes throughout the entire area of Kathorus during the festive season,” explained Capt. Ndobe during a debriefing session at the Ramokonopi Police Precinct, on January 5.
Ndobe explained that the bulk of crimes handled by the SAPS during this time were assault cases, most of them related to domestic violence and spousal abuse. He added that the major cause of these flare-ups was alcohol.
In most cases, said Capt. Ndobe, the victims of these violent family assaults and abuse cases were mainly women, most of whom were found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged abuse, assault or rape. This led to a large percentage of the victims being unable to identify their alleged male assailants.
“It makes it extremely difficult for us as the police to follow up with investigations in a case where the victim cannot identify the assailant because she or both of them were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged crime being committed,” said Capt. Ndobe. He called the situation “seriously frustrating”.
While the majority of the victims were women, Capt. Ndobe told Kathorus MAIL that a high percentage of females were in fact themselves found to be excessively violent when they meted out revenge against their male spouses in these domestic abuse cases.
Capt. Ndobe explained that “provocation” by women in domestic violence cases often resulted in spousal murder, with women being the likely victims. “In some cases the ‘provoked’ male partner ends up wiping out the entire family before killing himself,” he said.
Capt. Ndobe cited jealousy between couples as a crucial factor in domestic violence situations. He advised couples and partners to seek advice from family priests, elders or relatives and even professionals such as social workers when faced with domestic problems.
“Revenge,” said Capt. Ndobe, “should be the last thing on your mind when you are confronted with a violent family or spousal domestic situation. Rather walk away than act like a ‘hero’ and take the matter into your own hands.” he said.
He warned that warring couples or partners should instead report any domestic violence to the police.
Capt. Ndobe provided the following police numbers that members of the public, especially women, should keep handy in case of an emergency:
112 SAPS Emergency
10111 SAPS Emergency
322211 SAPS SMS Crime Line
