Currently, South Africa has 1 006 police stations equipped with victim friendly rooms for GBV- and sexual crimes victims. This is according to an answer by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to a question posed by EFF Member of Parliament, Delisile Ngwenya.

Central South Africa makes out 228 of the total. The Free State has 84, while the North West has 74 and the Northern Cape has 70 police stations equipped with victim friendly rooms.

Cele says that all stations consist of service members - working in community service centers (CSCs) - who have been trained in domestic violence, sexual offences and victim empowerment, amongst others, to assist victims of these crimes.

Meanwhile, OFM News previously reported Cele stated that specialised gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) desks will be established across the 150 000 police stations across the country.

He explained that such a desk is important “because the national prosecuting authority (NPA) said that the first point of contact will determine when a case of GBVF will be successfully or unsuccessfully prosecuted”.

OFM News