Survivors continue to come forward to report cases of rape in taxis in Soweto which has largely been linked to the ongoing plague of violence against women and a lack of safety in the taxi industry.
Gauteng Community of Safety MEC, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said that of the nine people who have come forward with allegations that they were raped or robbed on taxis around Johannesburg, two struggled to get assistance from police.
Multiple victims have come forward since last week after reports detailed how a woman was raped for four hours in a taxi in front of her 10-year-old son.
“Two of the victims actually indicated that they did go to police stations to report the matters.
“Instead of getting help from the police in the particular stations where they went to report they were actually sent them from pillar to post,” she said.
Malobane said her department and the police are investigating the failure of the SAPS to provide victims with assistance and thus violating their rights.
She said reports of police officers denying rape or sexual assault victims their rights are common.
“It might be due to issues over jurisdiction, victim blaming, or an officer believing such cases should be resolved within a community rather than through the criminal system,” she said.
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