Only 0.1% of SAPS officers checked for Sexual Offences

The Minister of Police has revealed to Build One South Africa (BOSA) that less than 0.14% of the entire South African Police Service (SAPS) workforce has been screened against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). This disturbing fact emerged in response to a parliamentary question by BOSA Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP.

According to the Minister of Police, only 245 members of SAPS have been submitted for screening against the NRSO, out of a total police force of over 180,000 personnel. That means fewer than 1 in every 700 SAPS employees has been checked for prior convictions related to sexual offences.

It comes at a time when South Africa continues to battle a sexual violence epidemic:

• Over 42,700 rapes were reported in the 2023/24 financial year, which is more than 117 per day.
• The total number of sexual offences reported last year was 54,885, including rape, sexual assault, and related crimes.
• In the last five years, over 250,000 sexual offences have been reported nationwide.

South Africans cannot be expected to trust law enforcement to protect them from sexual violence when SAPS has failed to even vet its own officers.

At the same time, internal rot continues within the SAPS itself. 2,108 officers have been dismissed for misconduct or wrongdoing over the last five financial years. That is an average of 421 dismissals per year. These include crimes that may involve violence, abuse, or sexual misconduct

This lack of oversight creates fertile ground for abuse, erodes public trust, and exposes vulnerable people to further harm.

BOSA continues to call for:

1. Mandatory NRSO Screening for all SAPS employees, including police and civilian, within the next 3 months.
2. NRSO Vetting to be included in all SAPS recruitment, promotions, and disciplinary review processes going forward.
3. A Public Audit of all SAPS staff dismissed in the past five years to determine how many had prior sexual offences.
4. Oversight by Parliament and Civil Society to ensure full transparency and accountability.

The National Register for Sex Offenders was created to protect the public. It remains meaningless if those charged with enforcing the law are allowed to ignore it.

BOSA will not accept a police force that turns a blind eye to sexual misconduct. We demand a clean, ethical, and professional SAPS that the public can trust to uphold the law.