Cape Town - Women were most likely to experience theft of personal property and consumer fraud, and female-headed households housebreaking and assault, according to the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2021/22, Victims of Crime Report.
Housebreaking was mostly experienced by female-headed households and households in rural areas, and females, persons aged 16–34 years and those living in urban areas were most likely to experience theft of personal property.
The Victims of Crime Report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Tuesday, was conducted in about 30 000 households across the nine provinces.
According to the report, household crimes experienced in the 2021/22 period increased compared to the 2020/21 period. The report estimated that 1.4 million incidences of housebreaking occurred, representing 5.4% of all households in the country.
Theft of personal property was the most common crime experienced by individuals aged 16 and older in South Africa in 2021/22. The results indicate that in 2021/22, a total of 1.1 million individuals experienced theft of personal property, followed by those who experienced consumer fraud (376 000) and robbery (246 000).
The statistics also revealed that the general feeling of safety had declined.
The percentage of adults aged 16 and older who felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods during the day decreased, as well those who felt safe walking alone at night.
“Females, in general, felt safer walking alone in their neighbourhood during the day than males. Similarly, a higher percentage of rural residents had a greater feeling of safety walking alone in their areas when it is darker than residents in urban areas.
“About 48% of the individuals aged 16 and above indicated that they have done something to protect themselves against crime.
“About 30.4% of the population indicated that they only walk during safer hours and 28.8% indicated they have taken physical protection measures for their home as the main method to protect themselves against crime.”
“Only 3.8% indicated they carry a weapon (gun, knife, screwdriver, or blade) as the main method to protect themselves against crime,” read the report.
Anti-crime and violence activist Roegshanda Pascoe said the state must take accountability for its contribution to the victimisation of women in society.
“Perpetrators are given bail, they come and roam in the same community and parade in front of the victims. This leads to more trauma and victimisation.
“The Human Settlements Department for example, evicts people from homes without giving an alternative safe place for women and children to stay. When we speak about women being failed and unsafe, we must also look at who else is playing a part,” she said.
Pascoe added that women were unsafe on the street and also in their homes.
“Women are at risk even with their partners, whether it is night or day. You will find that they are getting beat up on the street or at home and everyone will just stare and not even try to stop it. The police will just pass,” she said.
Cape Flats Safety Forum chairperson Abie Isaacs called on all spheres of government to work together to address violence and crime against women.
“We note this with concern as we are still in Women's Month. We firmly believe we should have a 365 days programme to educate and have campaigns to reach the most vulnerable people in our societies.
“We call on all departments in all spheres of government to have a command agenda and work in a collaborative approach with civil society to eradicate these types of crime,“ said Isaacs.
Cape Times