DA condemns brutal attack on schoolgirls and demands urgent action against gender-based violence

31 October 2024

Following the horrific attack on five schoolgirls from Jongintaba Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, the DA urgently calls for dedicated specialised investigative capacity within SAPS, including dedicated units from the Hawks and SAPS' organised crime team.

In the early hours of the morning, armed attackers broke into the girls' accommodation, with one assailant proceeding to rape and rob the girls at gunpoint. This appalling incident is yet another reminder of the terrifying violence faced by young women in South Africa and highlights the urgent need for decisive action.

The DA will write to the Minister of Police, demanding details on the specialised resources available to combat violent crime and gender-based violence. We are once again calling for an integrated, collaborative strategy involving the SAPS specialised units, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Department of Justice, and Correctional Services to ensure effective responses and accountability.

Deploying national intervention units and other uniform police members is not enough to address the severity of the range of extremely violent crimes that have drastically increased recently in the Eastern Cape.

Specialised capacity is essential for both prevention and prosecution of these heinous crimes that have dramatically increased in the Eastern Cape recently.

The DA also calls on the NPA and SAPS to ensure these cases are fast-tracked to demonstrate a firm stance on GBV and send a clear message to perpetrators. Justice must be swift and relentless in its pursuit of those who commit these brutal acts.

The DA stands with the victims, their families, and communities in demanding safety, justice, and a coordinated effort from the government to protect our most vulnerable from the scourge of gender-based violence.

Issued by Ian Cameron, DA Spokesperson on Police, 31 October 2024