Mashatile: 27.9% increase in life imprisonment sentences for GBVF cases

Lerato Mbhiza

Deputy President Paul Mashatile said in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the courts have shown a 27.9% increase in life imprisonment sentences for GBVF cases through Thuthuzela Care Centers.

Mashatile said this while giving a keynote address in the National Conference on the Review of the Integrated Criminal Justice System and the Review of the Criminal Justice Act, No 51 of 1977, at the Birchwood Hotel, Ekurhuleni. 

He said the government is responding swiftly to the GBVF epidemic by putting an emphasis on robust institutions and solid evidence.  

“In late 2020, the Department of Justice introduced three amendment bills including the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act 12 of 2021, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 13 of 2021, and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act 14 of 2021. The latter Act established an electronic repository for domestic violence protection orders, which became operational on April