Protection order failures 'a national disgrace'

GENDER-BASED violence activists say new data on protection-order violations confirms what survivors have warned for years - the system meant to protect them is failing. Their alarm follows a damning DA release showing a 13.6% conviction rate in the Western Cape and mounting cases in which women were harmed or killed despite seeking court protection.

- MURRAY SWART

The DA said it was "deeply concerned and disappointed at the persistent failures of SAPS to protect survivors who turn to the police for help".

A response by the SAPS to a DA parliamentary question revealed 47457 charges for protection-order violations between 2020 and 2025 in the Western Cape, with just 6486 convictions.

"This equates to a 13.6% conviction rate, which is unacceptably low when the safety of those who have already sought protection orders is directly threatened," the DA said.

The party added: "Gender-based violence is a national crisis, and without stronger accountability, the perpetrators of this violence will continue to walk freely among us."