SAPS says Western Cape has enough rape kits, despite reported shortages - IOL
SAPS has confirmed there is no rape kit shortage in the Western Cape.
Western Cape SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi has rejected claims of a current shortage of rape kits in the province, saying there is no shortage.
Dyantyi made the comments on Tuesday during a media briefing on the Western Capeβs first-quarter 2026/27 crime statistics at the SAPS Provincial Head Office in Green Point.
His statement comes after concerns were previously raised about the availability of D1 forensic evidence collection kits for adults and D7 kits for children at police stations and Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Violence (FCS) units across the province.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), through its lawyers, in June placed Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia on terms over what it described as a crisis involving the supply of rape kits in the Western Cape.
The DA said it had learnt that SAPS would not have rape kits available to administer crucial testing of rape victims beyond August 1, 2026.
In response to a parliamentary question from the DA, the Acting Minister said that, after the previous rape-kit supply contract expired on April 3, 2026, SAPS procured 11,540 D1 and D7 forensic evidence collection kits during April.
However, the DA said its oversight visits on May 14 and 15 found that numerous FCS units and police stations in the Western Cape had no rape kits available.
The party questioned how more than 11,000 kits could have been procured in April if frontline investigators could not access them weeks later.
The DA also filed a complaint against the Western Cape Provincial Supply Chain Head, Maj. Genl. Voskuil, over what it described as a failure to ensure regular rape-kit supplies.
Meanwhile, information obtained on SAPS planning and annual needs assessments indicates that provincial management had allocated 20% of the required rape kits to stations across the Western Cape.
The information also indicates that shortages or complete absences of D1 adult rape kits and D7 child rape kits had been recorded in several policing areas.
The latest SAPS position, however, is that there is no shortage of rape kits in the province.
