The National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA) says that this Women’s Month, it also wants to shine a spotlight on the contemptable ongoing practice by some SAPS officers of encouraging or permitting the withdrawal of gender-based violence (GBV) cases. “This is not a procedural failure – it’s a betrayal of justice,” says the NSMSA. “Pushing survivors to drop charges isn’t just negligent, it’s dangerous because it puts women straight back in the hands of their abusers. This is a worrying signal that SAPS has no intention of holding perpetrators accountable. That’s not policing – it’s complicity.”
NSMSA says that it is outraged, following persistent reports from several survivors who arrive at shelters, of cases being withdrawn or mishandled at station level – often under pressure or without proper safeguards. Many survivors report being discouraged by officers, shamed, or told to ‘reconcile’. Some are sent back home with nothing but a case number, only to face further violence.
The NSMSA says that it has long warned against this pattern. “We must never confuse reconciliation with safety. For those victims of violence who have found the courage to ask for help, they need police to keep them safe from harm, not try to persuade them to drop the charges against their perpetrators. What victims of abuse need is protection, and a justice system that does not abandon them when they seek help.”
With South Africa’s femicide rate five times the global average, every dropped GBV case has potentially fatal consequences. “Allowing GBV cases to be quietly swept away is not just tone-deaf – it’s lethal. Too often, we see the aftermath – women who sought help and were failed by police,” says NSMSA. “By the time they reach our shelters, they are traumatised, isolated, and increasingly convinced the system is not built to support them. That’s because, too often, it isn’t.”
Concerned about the impact of recent serious allegations of corruption, misconduct, and even criminal collusion within SAPS, the NSMSA says, “We cannot separate these failures from the broader crisis in how GBV and femicide cases are handled. At a time when we need a police service committed to protecting women and children, SAPS’s collapse of integrity risks destroying survivors’ trust in the justice system – and their chances of accessing justice at all.”
NSMSA is calling for urgent national action to prohibit police-facilitated withdrawals of GBVF cases at station level, unless reviewed by a court and informed by trauma-sensitive professionals. Officers who enable these practices must be investigated and held accountable. Should we include something that victims can do when service is lacking at police stations?
“If government is serious about ending GBV and femicide, this is where the line must be drawn. Police officers and SAPS officials, as the enforcers of justice, must be held to the highest standard and oversight should be independent and rigorous. And those who,” said NSMSA. “No more quiet dismissals. No more forced ‘reconciliations’. No more sending women back to danger. The justice system must protect women. If not, the State is complicit in this violence.”
Contact the National Shelter GBV Helpline by calling 0800 001 005, or send an SMS, WhatsApp or Please Call Me to 082 057 8600 | 082 058 2215 | 072 230 7147, or send an email to infohelpline@nationalsm.org.za. *Business are encouraged to include this information on their websites, intranets and social media.
Support the NSMSA’s Back-a-Buddy campaign to ensure its GBV Shelter Helpline continues its vital role – as a lifeline for victims/survivors and in ending GBV and femicide in South Africa.
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