The recent discovery of women's bodies in Ekurhuleni has highlighted the gap between policy and protection in South Africa's efforts to combat gender-based violence and femicide. The families of the victims deserve answers and justice, and the public deserves to know whether police personnel and public money are being directed to the communities facing the greatest danger. Visible policing is a critical measure of that protection. According to the South African Police Service, the country has roughly one police officer for every 412 people, or 243 per 100,000 residents.
The South African Police Service is confronting a high level of violent crime and gender-based violence and femicide, with 27,494 murders recorded in 2023/24, about 76 murders a day. The Human Sciences Research Council found that about one in three women aged 18 and older had experienced physical violence in her lifetime. A responsive budget should therefore fund deployable capacity, not merely enlarge the establishment. This includes trained officers on predictable foot and vehicle patrols in high-risk areas, properly staffed Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units, functioning vehicles and communications, and manageable detective caseloads.
The significant challenges and resource constraints confronting the South African Police Service remain glaringly evident. Detective capacity remains strained, with 53 detective vacancies at Cape Town Central, 43 at Nyanga, and 38 at Kraaifontein in the Western Cape alone. The pressure extends across the justice chain, with a national forensic DNA backlog of over 140,000 cases by March 2025. The Auditor-General recorded 37,497 criminal court backlog cases at 31 March 2024, rising to 37,838 by 30 June 2024.
Despite these challenges, the results already achieved show what properly resourced specialist capacity can deliver. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the SAPS's Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units secured 2,941 convictions and arrested 22,219 suspects. However, these gains remain vulnerable when detective vacancies, forensic delays, and court backlogs prevent cases from progressing efficiently. Accountability also weakens after conviction, with the National Register for Sex Offenders remaining closed to the public.
The funding case must therefore extend across the full justice chain, including filling priority detective and specialist posts, expanding forensic and case-management capacity, integrating police, court, correctional, and registry systems, and staffing the register adequately to deliver timely vetting. Adequately resourced Thusong Service Centres can provide the accessible link between these services. The government's 2022/23 factsheet recorded 197 established centres, of which only 121 were fully functional.
Meaningful expenditure requires that funding be protected, targeted, and measurable. The 2026/27 policing budget set aside R1.6-billion for GBVF-related activities, with a further R50-million added to provincial baselines. The government should demonstrate that these amounts are additional to existing obligations and report, by province and station, what they fund. Expenditure is meaningful only if it improves response times, case progression, and survivor safety.
A credible funding programme should have three parts: Treasury should protect a multi-year SAPS frontline allocation for priority vacancies, vehicles, fuel, communications, forensic capacity, FCS units, and intelligence-led hotspot patrols. It should establish a conditional grant for GBVF-ready Thuthuzela Centres, using population, distance, reported violence, and poverty to direct resources, and tying transfers to minimum staffing and service standards. Provinces should fund shelters, legal assistance, and community-based services to support survivors.
Key points
- Protecting women in South Africa requires a well-funded frontline system that supports survivors and protects them from violence.
- The South African Police Service is confronting a high level of violent crime and gender-based violence and femicide, with significant challenges and resource constraints.
- A credible funding programme should have three parts, including protecting a multi-year SAPS frontline allocation, establishing a conditional grant for GBVF-ready Thuthuzela Centres, and funding shelters and community-based services.
