GBV cases being thrown out of court due to missing dockets a concern for Western Cape Dept
The Western Cape Community Safety Department has expressed concern over the number of gender-based violence-related cases being thrown out of court as a result of dockets that go missing.
MEC Reagen Allen said that 198 court cases were withdrawn because of this problem.
The Western Cape Community Safety Department has a court-watching brief unit.
Part of its mandate is to monitor all crime cases, but specifically gender-based cases.
MEC Reagen Allen: “And of the 193 court cases that were monitored between 1 April 2022 and the end of June 2022, 198 were then monitored. And it ranges from cases which were withdrawn due to the docket not being in court.”
Allen goes on to question why case dockets were being thrown out of court and more importantly, how are they disappearing.
“The report will indicate in terms of heinous crimes, in terms of rape when the DNA sample is outstanding and then that particular case will be struck off the court roll for a number of times,” Allen said.
The top five police stations in the province where court dockets allegedly go missing include, Beaufort West, Oudtshoorn, Lingelethu, Kuils River, and Knysna.
In response, Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has refuted claims that dockets that go missing were always the result of police negligence.
He said that members who were found to have lost dockets had been and would undergo disciplinary actions.
“Not every situation is the same. Depending on what we find, if we find it was the fault of the member, then we discipline the member. Sometimes the dockets even gets missing at court and some never get back to the station. Each one of them, we go to check what was the issue.”
-EWN
In other news – Cute video of Murdah Bongz & DJ Zinhle’s baby, Asante dancing to his set emerges, she is a big fan of her dad
South African musical duo, Black Motion’s Murdah Bongz got his Instagram followers in their feelings with a video of his daughter, Asante. The little girl’s growth has become entertaining to some social media users.
Murdah whose stage name is Morda played a video of himself performing in front of his daughter, and Asante got glued to the screen. Learn More
