The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in South Africa has reported a significant increase in cases of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) involving police officers. In its 2025/2026 annual report, IPID revealed that out of 332 GBVF cases, 116 involved rape allegations, with 72 of these incidents occurring while officers were on duty. This has sparked concerns over the abuse of power within the police force.
The IPID report was tabled in the National Assembly by Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia, highlighting the escalating problem of GBVF within law enforcement ranks. A total of 5,259 cases were registered by IPID in 2025/2026, including 332 GBVF cases, 122 referrals mainly for domestic violence, 116 rapes by officers, 58 assaults and torture cases, 24 murders, and 10 official firearm discharges.
The majority of GBVF cases were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, with 60 cases, followed by Gauteng with 58 cases, the Free State with 52 cases, and the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape with 27 cases each. Specific police stations, such as Kimberley and Mariannhill, led with seven cases each. The IPID report also showed a rise in rape cases from 95 in 2024/2025 to 116 in 2025/2026, with 44 committed by off-duty officers and 72 by on-duty officers.
The Independent Policing Union of South Africa (IPUSA) president, Bethuel Nkuna, expressed deep concern over the IPID figures, stating that they confirm GBVF within policing is a systemic crisis that undermines public trust in law enforcement. Nkuna condemned the escalation in rape cases involving police, emphasizing that the fact that 72 of these were committed while officers were on duty demonstrates a grave abuse of power and a failure of internal controls within the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Despite IPID securing 84 criminal convictions, including 26 GBVF-related cases, Nkuna stressed the gap between registered offences and convictions. He called for stronger survivor-centred mechanisms to ensure accountability and demanded urgent reforms in SAPS recruitment, training, and disciplinary systems, alongside independent oversight structures to prevent repeat violations.
Human rights and gender justice advocates have also weighed in on the issue, describing the IPID figures as a clear signal of the severity of police-perpetrated GBV. Claudia Lopes, human rights and gender justice programme manager at the Heinrich Boell Foundation’s Cape Town office, said the rise in rapes by police officers is alarming, especially because most happened while officers were on duty, and it is not private misconduct.
Advocates are calling for stronger measures to address the issue, including stricter accountability, dismissal, criminal prosecution, and loss of salary for perpetrators, rather than temporary suspensions and paid leave. Women Human Rights defender and Archive Amabali Wethu NPO founder Yolanda Dyantyi said it is deeply concerning that police stations can become a crime scene, raising urgent questions about safety for women and other vulnerable, marginalised groups.
Key points
- IPID recorded 116 rape cases involving police officers in 2025/26, including 72 committed while on duty.
- The majority of GBVF cases were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Free State.
- Advocates are calling for urgent reforms in SAPS recruitment, training, and disciplinary systems to address the issue of police-perpetrated GBV.
