Question NW1376 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
31 July 2023 - NW1376
Horn, Mr W to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What is the total number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions obtained in the courts over the past five years in respect of offences related to the selling of sexual acts by adult persons to other adult persons; (2) what is the total number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions obtained in the courts over the past five years in respect of offences related to the buying of sexual acts by adult persons from other adult persons?
Reply:
The questions asked relate to contraventions of either the Sexual Offences Act 32 of 1957 or of Section 11 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. The NPA does not keep offence-specific statistics for all offences and both contraventions of Act 32 of 1957, as well as Section 11 of Act 32 of 2007, fall in this category. It is therefore not possible to provide the requested statistics.
The NPA relies on SAPS to present dockets for decision and/or prosecution, some of which are withdrawn by the NPA. Internal dialogue in the NPA however indicates a very low percentage of cases or even zero prosecutions relating to the prosecution of adult sex workers in South Africa. Offences relating to human trafficking were excluded from the above dialogue.