Murders of women on the rise in Orange Farm: SAPS not doing enough

11 March 2022

Three women have been found dead in the last three weeks in Orange Farm, Johannesburg which is a clear indication that women are in danger, yet the law enforcement agencies and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety are not doing enough to curb the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide as well as to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.

In the latest incident, a burnt woman’s body was discovered in an open veld at Lake Side, Orange Farm Extension 2. Women and children in the area are now living in fear of their lives as they are targets based on the number of people that have been murdered so far.

The community of Orange Farm is blaming the government, particularly the Department of Community Safety and SAPS for not doing enough to educate the community about gender-based violence and femicide. The community has taken it upon themselves to hold gender-based violence forums in partnership with the local stakeholders however this is not enough without the government’s intervention.

The Orange Farm police station is among the top 30 police stations nationwide that have seen increases in terms of murder cases. This police station is number 22 and has had a huge increase in murder cases with 38 murders-an increase of 12 cases in the third quarter of the 2021/22 financial year compared to the period October to December of the 2020/21 financial year which had 26 cases.

Orange Farm has also recorded a huge increase in carjacking cases from 41 cases in the third quarter of the previous financial year to 68 in the current financial year.

Furthermore, the Department of Community Safety is constantly failing to meet its target to provide support to the victims of gender-based violence and femicide. According to the department’s third-quarter report for the 2021/22 financial year, 2,320 gender-based violence and femicide victims received support compared to the target of 3,000. The department provided no reason for the deviation which shows its incompetency in dealing with issues of gender-based violence.

The DA will engage the City of Johannesburg to intervene through community awareness initiatives on gender-based violence and femicide.

We will write to the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko demanding her urgent intervention in Orange Farm to ensure that the law enforcement agencies are proactive in dealing with the scourge of gender-based violence in the area. As the political head of the department, the MEC must respond to the community’s plea to visit the area and engage them on crime-related issues.

DA believes that the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) adoption of the DA’s Community Safety Oversight Bill will assist to improve police intelligence in dealing with the perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide. The intelligence unit working on gender-based violence cases must be well equipped with adequate resources to be able to thoroughly investigate cases and provide tangible evidence to be used for prosecutions in court.

The safety of our people, particularly the most vulnerable, such as women and children is of utmost importance, and we will continue to put pressure on the government to ensure their safety and security.

Issued by Michael Shackleton, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety, 11 March 2022