BOSA requests debate in Parliament over making public the Sex Offenders Register

21 August 2024

In the spirit of Women’s Month, Build One South Africa (BOSA) Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, has today written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, requesting a debate in Parliament to consider the National Register of Sexual Offenders (NRSO) and the subsequent impact it has on the protection of women and girls in South Africa.

As the legislative arm of government, Parliament has a duty to protect the most vulnerable in society from abuse. The abuse of women and girls at the hands of men is a stain on the very conscience and fabric of our country.

According to the most recent crime stats from the South African Police Service (SAPS), in the last three months of 2023, 12,211 rapes took place, 1,485 attempted murders of women were reported, 1,830 women were murdered, and more than 18,000 women were assaulted with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

In addition, young girls are preyed upon by sex offenders. The rate of births among girls aged under 14 in South Africa is soaring. The South African Medical Journal says these almost doubled from 2 726 to 4 047 between 2017 and 2021.

In a single calendar year, 2021 to 2022, 90,037 girls aged 10 to 19 years gave birth. Approximately 30% of teenagers in South Africa reported having been pregnant and 188 teenage girls under the age of 18 were married off in 2021.

Sex offenders roam our streets and endanger the dignity and bodily integrity of women.

That is why we are bringing this particular matter before the National Assembly and pushing for the National Register of Sexual Offenders (NRSO) to be made public and readily accessible to anyone in the country.

The current protocol to access the Register is a time-consuming process that requires paying a fee of R150 and a waiting period of minimum six weeks.

This practice discourages transparency and inhibits access - a necessary step towards accountability. The NRSO needs to be publicly accessible and user-friendly.

We believe that the ease of access to such information is crucial to the security and well-being of our communities, particularly the most vulnerable among us.

Making the NRSO public will be a significant step towards deterring sexual offenders and those who abuse women and holding them accountable.

Increased transparency in this area will also promote community vigilance, also aiding in the fight against sexual abuse and gender-based violence.

Issued by Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, BOSA Deputy Leader, 21 August 2024