Growing trend of sexual crimes means we are failing as a society, we just have to do better

It is incredibly difficult to understand why police officials and legal practitioners are involved with sex crimes and domestic violence.

Yes, it’s easier to attack the person closest to you because they are a soft target. But police members know better. I’ve written about this before.

Every day they see the consequences of domestic violence, yet some still inflict it on their partners.

According to Portfolio Committee on Police chair Tina Joemat-Pettersson, nearly 150 members were identified as alleged perpetrators.

On a one-to-one scale, it is not a huge number; it’s a very small number. But the old adage holds true, it takes one apple to spoil the barrel and in the big picture of the unceasing war on women, it’s too many.

News also came on Thursday of yet another attorney who is alleged to have groomed a woman from when she was 15 years old.

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“After 11 years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, the now 26 year old opened a case at the Norwood Police Station in Johannesburg,” AfriForum spokesperson Barry Bateman said.

Someone knew. Someone always knows and they did nothing about it. They are equally as guilty as the attorney. Allegedly. We have to put that in there. He’s not the only one.

They pop up with frightening regularity: people who know what they are doing is wrong – they are experts in law, after all.

Back in 2018, we reported on an advocate who was alleged to have molested a girl – now 19 – when she was between six and 12 years old.

Then there is now deceased advocate Paul Kennedy who will never answer to allegations of multiple counts of child abuse following his suicide.

His partner in the alleged crime has been left to answer 735 charges of various sexual offences. Sports stars too, are not excluded.

Disgraced tennis ace Bob Hewitt had his way with at least two children. He was fortunately sent away. It is dangerous to be a child – boy or girl – in South Africa.

They are kidnapped for muti, swiped to be raised as another woman’s own child, molested by trainers, “father figures” and more.

Rapists do it for power, paedophiles say they have a disease. All excuses. It is telling most serial killers go after women.

Men, too, suffer sexual abuse and horrific but, by far, women and children have the biggest targets on their backs.

The National Prosecuting Authority reported on Thursday that the Motherwell Regional Court sentenced Apostle Luthando Matodlana, former Bay and Mpuma Kapa TV resident pastor and founder of God is Love Ministry, to seven years direct imprisonment for raping a man.

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The 34 year old was convicted last Friday, for raping the survivor, who was 22 years old at the time.

The rape took place between February and March 2013. We do live in a world of diverse sexual expressions and sexualities.

It is widely accepted there is a broad spectrum of sexuality and gender expression. But it can never be that one person can force themselves on another.

And that it happens so often to so many, means we, as a society, are failing. We must do better.