Western Cape has second-highest number of protection order applications

Over one million new protection order applications were filed nationwide in the 2024/25 financial year.

The Western Cape accounted for 162,576 of them, making it the province with the second-highest number of applications after Gauteng.

This was revealed by Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel, during a Community Imbizo aimed at combating Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, held at St Mark’s Primary School in Prince Alfred Hamlet on Saturday.

“These are not just numbers. They are lives. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, neighbours and friends, people who are fearing for their safety.

"If someone violates a protection order it is a criminal offence in terms of the Domestic Violence Act. During the previous financial year, 2734 such cases were registered in the Western Cape,” the deputy minister said. 

The event was a collaboration with the Cape Winelands Women’s Movement, a non-profit organisation which seeks to empower women and marginalised communities, particularly those affected by GBVF, and persons with disabilities.  

They had reached out to the department because Prince Alfred Hamlet and other surrounding towns had seen a high incidence of violence against women and children and femicide, particularly in the last two years.

Nel cited several recent incidents, including a 32-year-old woman who was attacked in Prince Alfred Hamlet by men reportedly known to her boyfriend; the tragic death of a three-month-old baby, allegedly killed by her mother in the same area; and the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl in Nduli, among others. 

Callas Foundation founder, Caroline Peters said for the Western Cape to have the second-highest number in the country speaks to multiple layered issues including high rates of violence in communities, socio-economic pressures, entrenched patriarchy, and limited support services that leave women, children, and vulnerable persons with no choice but to seek the protection of the courts.

“The high number of protection order applications shows both the scale of gender-based violence and the courage of survivors seeking help. But the system is overloaded too often only a ‘notice to appear’ is granted, leaving women unprotected, while counter-orders are misused by perpetrators. Without resources to enforce orders or use safety monitoring notices, survivors remain at risk despite taking the brave step of going to court," said Peters. 

Activist and community leader Lucinda Evans said while protection orders were important and in many cases life-saving, police needed to act on them. 

“Police are not acting on the instruction of the protection order. They are still doing the discretionary law. They are still not responding when they need to respond when the complainant needs help."

She emphasised the need for police officers to undergo retraining in handling gender-based violence cases. She called on the Department of Social Development to deploy GBV ambassadors to police stations to support officers in the effective handling of these cases.

ANC Western Cape spokesperson for Community Safety, police oversight and mobility, Benson Ngqentsu said: “There is a relationship between domestic violence and in particular Gender-Based Violence, poverty and unemployment. The Western Cape is defined by this crisis and thus these levels of crimes, with children getting easily recruited into gangs. There is a need for a coordinated approach involving all levels of government and big business to develop a systematic response to address chronic crisis of development, poverty, inequality and unemployment.”

Nel said the Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) model “represents not only a whole-of-government approach to combating gender-based violence, but a whole-of-society effort.” He noted that there are currently 66 operational TCCs across the country.

Victims of GBV can call the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre toll-free on 0800 428 428 for assistance. They can also contact the GBV Command Centre by way of a “please call me” at *120*7867# with a request that a social worker contact them. They can also SMS the word “help” to 31531.

Cape Times