KwaDukuza’s rape crisis remains an unsolved problem with the majority of victims aged between 3 to 18

Rape and sexual abuse in KwaDukuza remains an alarming issue with about two to three cases reported every week. 

Shaka’s Head, Shayamoya, Etete, Groutville and Ntshawini are the townships that have the most rape cases reported in the district.

Mzwandie Ndlovu from the Thuthuzela Centre in KwaDukuza said they have recorded 21 cases of rape this month. 

“There are more coming so the number will be higher by the end of this month. Last month we had 33 cases reported in the Ilembe region,” said Ndlovu.

Most victims are between the ages of 3 and 18 years old. Children are abused by people who are usually known to them, while women fall prey to attacks on their way home after leaving taxis, and at taverns. 

“We also have cases where women have been raped by their ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands, usually within someone’s residence,” said Ndlovu. 

The Courier also spoke to a police officer who deals with rape cases almost every day. A complicating factor is the number of people who who report a rape, but later drop the charges.

“They usually say they have made peace with what happened to them and they just want to move on with their lives. Some say their families (his and her family) have spoken and decided to settle the matter out of court. That annoys me because so many state resources have been wasted investigating the case,” she said.

A rape case usually takes between 1 and 3 years to finalise. Many victims find the process too long, so about 2 in every 5 cases will be dropped.

She said even if they convince the victim not to drop the case, they would agree but then do not arrive at court.

Ndlovu said in some cases, the family of the alleged rapist may offer some sort of payment to the family of the victims. 

“This is very common when the case involves relatives because when the offender is within the family, the family will be divided and one side will be more powerful than the other,” said Ndlovu.

Both Ndlovu and the officer agreed that there was a great deal of work that needed to be done to create awareness and encourage women to report rape.