Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has announced that a public register of convicted sexual offenders and gender-based violence (GBV) perpetrators will be released by the end of February 2025.
Kubayi announced this during her address at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation’s 365 Days Against GBV Awareness Campaign in Soweto on Tuesday. The event is aimed at tackling the ongoing crisis of GBV in the country.
“As I got into the portfolio, one of the issues that has been reported was the need for us as a department to release the register, to make it public… for those who have been sentenced and convicted of gender-based violence, to protect our children. I have agreed that we will be able to release this, and my timeframe is before the end of February 2025, the register will be public.”
This follows calls by civil rights groups like Action Society, who last year highlighted a study that more than 16,000 teachers in the country have criminal records which include rape, murder and assault.
READ MORE: Over 16,000 teachers have criminal backgrounds, including rape
This latest development comes during a time when GBV is widespread in South Africa. During her address, Kubayi highlighted statistics by the Human Sciences Research Council, which show that 33.1% of women over 18 years old have experienced physical violence.
“This means at least 3 women out of ten women aged 18 years and older you meet have experienced GBV. This is not acceptable, and we should not accept it as a society. The stories of women getting killed by their partners have become so prevalent on Social Media platforms to the extent that when we read them, we no longer get shocked or outraged, we just read and move on,” Kubayi’s statement read.
READ MORE: Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation’s Women Empowerment
As such, Kubayi also noted that ongoing efforts are being made to improve the way in which GBV cases are handled in the court system.
“We intend to upgrade 100 district courts to offer services that are custom-made for survivors of gender-based violence. This will assist us in terms of creating a conducive environment but having specialists in those courts that understand how to deal with a victim, how to deal with a family, provide support, provide counselling.”
This announcement comes just days after a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl, who rejected his advances.
Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm says this incident showed that a functioning justice system was needed to support victims in getting protection, “while removing abusers from the streets”.
READ MORE: 15-year-old sentenced for killing girl who refused to kiss him
