KZN still breeds criminals
MURDER, rape and sexual assault continue to be perpetrated against Kwazulu-natal residents and the majority of the victims are in the areas of Umlazi, Inanda and Kwadukuza.
This revelation was made by Minister of Police Bheki Cele during the presentation of the third quarter crime statistics on Friday.
Between October and December last year more than 2 000 cases of rape were reported in the province.
Inanda and Umlazi were among the top 30 national stations with the majority of cases reported.
According to the police, more than 1 000 of these occurred either at the homes of perpetrators or victims.
More than 300 were committed in public places which include streets, open fields, recreational centres, parks, beaches, parking areas and abandoned buildings.
About 40 victims were attacked in buses, cars or taxis.
Almost 2 500 cases of sexual offences were reported during this period and Umlazi, Inanda and Kwadukuza were counted among the top 10 of the national top 30 stations with the number of highest cases.
Professor Nirmala Gopal, criminology lecturer at the University of Kwazulu-natal, said it was not surprising that all three areas were historically black African townships, which had a history of not being policed by authorities.
“What the statistics continue to reveal is that development in these townships is not forthcoming, levels of frustration are high and people continue to commit crimes,” she said.
“When men feel emasculated through unemployment, it is not unusual to show their power by raping and sexually assaulting those they perceive as less powerful than themselves.
“So in all probability, there might be a link between unemployment and crime but not for commonly held reasons such as economics.”
She explained that most incidents of rape were not spontaneous or impulsive.
However, the perpetrator allegedly grooms his usually unsuspecting victim who may be lured to the perpetrator’s house but under the pretext that the perpetrator’s residence is a safe space.
“National and international studies confirm that most often the perpetrator is someone the victim knows.
“Stranger rape constitutes a minority of rapes,” said Gopal.
“There are a host of reasons why these rapes occur at the residence of either the perpetrator or victim.
“One profound reason is the rape of a wife, partner, child, niece, nephew, friend, or any significant other.
“This notion debunks the myth that rapes take place in a dark, desolate, public area.”