Police GBV training more than halved since 2015

In response to a parliamentary question, it is revealed that training of SAPS officials for gender sensitisation in the Western Cape has declined from 1 036 in 2015/16 to less than half of that – 462 – for the most recent financial year. This is in spite of the provincial government’s willingness to facilitate further training at stations with especially low levels of compliance to the Domestic Violence Act.

And yet this further follows the recent announcement by national Police Minister Bheki Cele on government’s efforts to curb the GBV pandemic, including new victim support desks at hotspots.

Nevertheless, I will write to the Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Matakata, requesting details of the rollout of GBV and femicide support desks at police stations in the province and enquire as to why provincial Community Safety’s offer of sensitisation has not been accepted.

This decline in training corroborates with findings of my oversight engagements where inadequate availability of victim support rooms are found at police stations. In some instances, such as in Laingsburg, the doors were always closed and police officials on site were unable to locate the key.

Against the backdrop of only a 3% conviction rate for GBV cases during lockdown, the situation is dire and government must play catch-up with haste.

It is therefore with a view to continuous, constructive oversight that we cautiously welcome the bolstering of anti-GBV measures, and look forward to support from national police resources as the province takes up Minister Cele’s call to identify our own localised hotspots. Neither Minister Cele nor the President has given any indication of the amount of funding available for the fight against GBV, either in totality or for provinces.