SAPS says all local police stations have sufficient rape kits
Rape kits are used by police to gather DNA evidence when investigating sexual offences.
All police stations across the province are in possession of rape kits and ready for the upcoming festive season, when sexual crimes usually peak.
“We have enough for all stations,” Brig Leonard Hlathi, provincial police spokesperson, declared. Rape kits are used by police to gather DNA evidence when investigating sexual offences.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in August released a statement that several police stations across the country still do not have a single rape kit in stock. According to the statement, 76 per cent of police stations did not have adult rape kits and 69 per cent of stations did not have child rape kits in stock.
In August this year the police announced that a rape-kit supplier was appointed after the previous tender was cancelled in 2017 due to alleged corruption.
ALSO READ: Man murdered in robbery – police looking for suspect
A statement read: “In 2017 reports of alleged corruption between a supplier and certain police officers emerged, compelling the SAPS to stop purchasing evidence collection kits from that supplier.”
It further added that they have “acquired a new contract with a company to supply evidence collection kits, and that (this) supplier will provide 13 different types of evidence collection kits including, adult sexual assault kits, paediatric sexual assault kits and buccal sample collection kits.”
The current figures indicated that the police ran short of over 128 000 rape kits, with only around 18 000 adult rape kits in circulation in the country.
ALSO READ: SANBS is in dire need of type-O donations
Gen Khehla Sitole, national police commissioner, however assured that, “between the time of the termination of the previous contract, and granting of this latest contract, we have put effective measures in place to ensure people received the desired service”.
The DA says that minister of police, Bheki Cele, missed his own October deadline after he made the undertaking in September to attend to the issue of rape kits, when the issue of gender-based violence was under sharp public scrutiny.
The recent annual crime statistics revealed that in Mpumalanga, the number of rape cases reported has increased from 2 712 in 2017/18 to 2 903 in 2018/19. This is a case difference of 191, with a change of 7.0 per cent. Rape occurs when a person forces another to have sexual intercourse without their consent. Rape kits are used to gather evidence.
According to advocate Johan de Necker, rape kits are important during a rape investigation. De Necker added that it is important but it is not impossible to go to court without the evidence from rape kits. “Although having a rape kit helps the state to prove thier case, because if he denies forced penetration or forced entry without the rape kit it will just be the word of the doctor,” he said.
“Rape kits consist of DNA, semen and HIV tests. All of these are important in a rape case. The DNA assists if the attacker denies, then the DNA can help in the case,” he explained.
