Potchefstroom Stands Against Gender-Based Violence: Turning National Crisis into Local Action
- Karen Scheepers
- Jun 5
- 7 min read
Gender-based violence and femicide remain a stark reality across South Africa and Potchefstroom is no exception. In recent months, national headlines have chronicled heartbreaking stories of young women and girls attacked, mutilated, and murdered simply because of their gender. While the scale of this crisis may seem overwhelming, it is precisely our local communities, neighbours, friends, schools, churches, campus societies, and community policing forums, that have the power to change the story. This article examines the latest national statistics, highlights how those figures translate into Potchefstroom’s own experience, and outlines practical steps every resident can take to protect loved ones and help survivors.
The National Picture: A Crisis in Numbers
South Africa’s GBV (gender-based violence) epidemic shows little sign of letting up. In the 2022/2023 financial year alone, the SAPS recorded over 53 000 sexual offences, including roughly 43 000 reported rapes, an average of 114 rapes per day nationwide. Experts estimate actual incidents are even higher, since many survivors never report to the police.
Equally harrowing are the femicide figures. In 2021, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) found that an average of three women are killed by an intimate partner every day, a rate nearly six times the global norm. More than 60 percent of all women murdered in that year were killed by a spouse or intimate partner. Even during the COVID-19 lockdown, when overall crime dipped, intimate-partner femicides spiked, as many victims were trapped at home with abusers.
Children have not been spared, either. In 2022/2023, the SAPS logged over 18 100 rape cases involving minors, 90 percent of which were girls. That equates to roughly 50 child rapes per day. And while provinces such as the Eastern Cape and Gauteng traditionally report the highest absolute numbers, these crimes occur everywhere, from rural villages to university campuses, underscoring how no corner of South Africa is immune.
Potchefstroom’s Reality: When National Trends Hit Home
As a city of roughly 130 000 people (including student populations at NWU), Potchefstroom reflects many of these national trends in GBV. In the past year, local SAPS and campus safety offices have recorded a worrying rise in domestic violence calls, sexual assault reports, and requests for counselling from survivors. Many cases involve victims we know, classmates, colleagues, friends, and family members.
Although precise local statistics for Potchefstroom are not formally published in isolation, anecdotal evidence and aggregated figures from the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District (which includes our Mafikeng and Matlosana neighbours) indicate that sexual offences and femicides continue to climb.
Potchefstroom SAPS’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit has reported that at least 200 GBV-related arrests were made in our immediate region during the past 12 months. Sadly, several high-profile cases, such as a university student assaulted near campus and a late-night attack on a domestic worker, have underscored the urgent need for vigilance.
Campus leadership, community policing forums, and student bodies have all flagged that many survivors feel unsafe even in supposedly secure environments, private residences, lecture halls, and on public transport. According to NWU’s campus safety office, around 75 percent of reported sexual assaults occur either at a victim’s home or that of an acquaintance. In nearly two-thirds of local incidents, the perpetrator was someone known to the victim: a dating partner, neighbour, or member of the extended family.
Government Link: https://www.sanews.gov.za/
What Is Being Done Locally and Nationally. National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF (2020 – 2030).
At a national level, the South African government launched a ten-year NSP on GBV and Femicide in 2020, backed by over R21 billion in funding. Under this plan, every SAPS station is meant to have an FCS unit, and all hospitals must host “Thuthuzela Care Centres” (one-stop clinics offering medical care, counselling, and assistance with filing reports). The NSP’s six pillars, ranging from prevention and response to survivor empowerment, aim to tackle violence from multiple angles.
“Stop GBVF” Campaign & GBV Command Centre.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities introduced a 24-hour GBV Command Centre, accessible by dialling 0800 428 428 anywhere in South Africa. Potchefstroom survivors and supporters can call this toll-free line to receive counselling and referrals to local services (e.g., legal aid, shelters, or psychosocial support). On social media and billboards across the country, you will see the hashtags #StopGBVF and #EndGBVF, which encourage survivors and witnesses to speak out. In Potchefstroom, several churches, NGOs, and student societies help publicise this number.
Provincial and Local Interventions.
The North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management has partnered with Potchefstroom SAPS to run quarterly “GBVF Blitzes”, short campaigns during which police intensify arrests of alleged perpetrators, fast-track investigative processes, and clear case backlogs. Additionally, the North West Department of Social Development provides at least two shelters in the province for women and children fleeing violence; one is located just outside Potchefstroom in Klerksdorp. Local NGOs (like a branch of People Opposing Women Abuse, or POWA) operate safe-house services and free counselling, often funded by donations or provincial grants.
Campus Safety & Student Activism.
NWU’s student representative council (SRC) and Faculty of Law have collaborated on a new “Campus Guardians” initiative, which provides night-time escorts for female students walking from on-campus residences to off-campus housing. In early 2025, SRC members launched a petition demanding better lighting and more CCTV cameras across campus walkways; over 1 500 students signed within two weeks. Student activists regularly host “Know Your Rights” workshops, educating peers on how to obtain a protection order and where to report if they or a friend face harassment or assault.
Community Engagement & Faith Groups.
Churches and community policing forums in Potchefstroom have held monthly dialogue circles, bringing together local pastors, police officers, and high-school learners to discuss toxic masculinity, consent, and bystander intervention. Ward councilors often attend these events to hear residents’ concerns firsthand. Some mosques and informal settlement collectives have also set up women’s “safe spaces,” where survivors can gather for support, report incidents, and obtain referrals to legal services without fear of stigma.
How You Can Help Protect Potchefstroom
While policy and policing are vital, lasting change depends on everyday actions. Below are steps every Potchefstroom resident can take right now:
Learn the Reporting Channels
GBV Command Centre (National Hotline): 0800 428 428 (toll-free, 24/7).
Potchefstroom SAPS FCS Unit: (018) 293 4100 (ask for the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences desk).
NWU Campus Safety Office: (018) 299 1999 (to report incidents on or near campus, even anonymously).
Be a Vigilant Neighbour or Friend
If you hear what sounds like an assault, call the police immediately rather than assuming someone else will do it.
Offer to walk a neighbour or friend to their car, to the taxi rank, or along a dimly lit street—especially late at night.
If a friend confides in you that they have been harassed or assaulted, encourage them to dial 0800 428 428 and to approach Potchefstroom SAPS’s FCS unit. Offer to accompany them.
Support Local Women’s Shelters and NGOs
Volunteers are always needed for phone counselling lines, legal-aid drive-days, and fundraising events. Contact the Potchefstroom branch of POWA or the North West Women’s Shelter in Klerksdorp.
Donate blankets, toiletries, or non-perishable food items to local safe houses. Even small contributions help survivors rebuild.
Speak Up, Safely
If you see someone making misogynistic jokes, catcalling, or pressuring a girl or woman around town or on campus, challenge that behaviour—either directly (if safe) or by notifying campus security or SAPS.
Remember: doing nothing can feel safer in the moment, but silence allows abusive behaviour to continue unchecked.
Educate Young People
When teenagers or younger children ask about relationships and consent, give honest, age-appropriate answers. Normalize respect and boundaries from a young age.
Encourage high-school learners to attend anti-GBV workshops at the local community centre or church hall.
Hold Perpetrators Accountable
If you know someone who has allegedly committed assault, don’t hide the crime. Report it. You can do so anonymously to Potchefstroom SAPS or via the GBV Command Centre.
Encourage friends or family members not to cover up an incident out of shame. Remind them that reporting can prevent future violence.
Potchefstroom’s Call to Action: A Shared Responsibility
“Stopping GBV cannot be business as usual,” said Deputy Minister Dr Polly Boshielo in June 2025. “It demands a shared responsibility, from government, from the justice system, and from every community member.” This rings true here in Potchefstroom. While the national statistics paint a grim picture, thousands of women and children victimized every month, we must remember that each case represents a neighbour, a classmate, or a friend.
Our city has resources, police units trained to handle domestic and sexual offences, student-led safety initiatives, and dedicated social workers at local clinics. Our churches, mosques, and civic organizations are already working to shift attitudes and offer safe spaces. Now it’s up to each of us to turn awareness into action: to report, to intervene, and to demand justice. When we do, we ensure that Potchefstroom’s streets, homes, schools, and campuses become safer for everyone, especially the women and girls who deserve nothing less than to live without fear.
Gender-based violence and femicide remain an urgent challenge across South Africa, and Potchefstroom is not exempt from this national crisis. Yet, we are also a city that cares—one where neighbours can look out for each other, where students can mobilize, and where local government and faith groups can work hand in hand with police.
Remember the hotline: Dial 0800 428 428 at the first sign of abuse.
Know your local station: Potchefstroom SAPS FCS desk is at (018) 293 4100.
Speak up and reach out: Help a friend, donate to a shelter, or simply challenge harmful behaviour in your own circle.
If we join together, no longer silent, Potchefstroom can become a beacon of hope, showing that even a small city can make a powerful stand against GBV. Let’s turn our concern into real-world action, and keep every Potchefstroom woman, girl, and survivor safe.
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