Sexual assault cases see spike in first quarter of 2025, reveal statistics

CAPE TOWN - While the country has seen a quarterly decrease in sexual assault cases, annual reports show an increase.

For this quarter, 13,452 sexual offence cases were recorded, a slight increase from the same quarter in the previous year.

This is also the case with recorded rape cases, which now stand at 10,688, an increase from 2024 numbers in the same period.

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The director of the Callas Foundation, Caroline Peters, said every number is a person and a life that has been affected.

“These are not just numbers, these are our daughters, our sisters, our mothers, our children being harmed, often in their homes and often by people they know.”

Peters said the new statistics are alarming.

“So, while national figures for murder and assault may have dipped slightly, the daily reality remains brutal - guns, gangs, and harmful gender norms continue to devastate our communities.”