Police Officer Suspected of Raping a Victim Must Be Suspended Immediately

8 October 2020

The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal calls for the immediate suspension of a police officer suspected of raping a victim in a police station. 

The IFP has reliably learnt that the police officer - who is stationed at KwaMaKhutha Police Station, south of Durban - reported for duty today, pending his investigation by IPID on the rape allegations.

What makes matters worse, is that we were also reliably informed that the accused police officer is alleged to have had similar accusations before, but these matters were intentionally kept under wraps.

The IFP will NOT tolerate any criminal alignment of police officers with crime, especially heinous crimes like GBV. If these allegations turn out to be true, we want to see justice prevail and the criminal disguised as a police officer must rot in jail.

Rotten law enforcement officers are the reason that rape victims are not reporting  rape and other GBV cases to the SAPS. It is unacceptable that there are criminals hiding behind blue uniforms, who cannot be trusted.

With the daily increase in the numbers of women and children being raped, killed and molested, we need disciplined and honest police officers, who are true to their calling and dedicated to protecting every citizen. 

We call upon the Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Hon Bheki Ntuli, to intervene by ensuring that this police officer is suspended pending the investigation, and that the rape victim is protected against any possible attack. 

We also urge the Hon MEC to implement his GBV interventions, as per his promises on the Report he tabled before the KZN Legislature on the 18th of September 2020. 

He promised many GBV interventions and based on this, we want to know: where was the 24-hour standby detective on call to respond to this case of GBV in KwaMakhutha, when this police officer was committing this crime? 

Why was the first case reported against this police officer hidden? If the MEC is serious about fighting GBV in this Province, we want to see the operations plan for arresting suspects starting in KwaMakhutha Police Station. 

MEC Ntuli should further ensure that the law deals harshly with police officers who commit any forms of secondary victimisation of rape victims. 

Law enforcement units must get rid of all these rotten apples if we are to win the fight against all forms of crime in this Province. 

Issued by Blessed Gwala, MPL, IFP Spokesperson in Community Safety and Liaison at KZN Legislature