South Africa: Personal Info of Krugersdorp Rape Victims Leaked on Social Media, Police Apologise

The leak of private information belonging to eight women who were raped in Krugersdorp during 2022 by the South African Police Service (SAPS) has prompted the authorities to issue an apology, Eyewitness News reports. Following an investigation into the matter, National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, said that release of the survivors’ names, surnames, ages and physical addresses were shared on police WhatsApp groups was an accident and not result of ill intent. Despite this, victims’ personal information was shard on social media. “The SAPS regrets the disclosure of such personal information and apologises to the victims of the dreadful crimes for the information breach and the hardship caused as a result,” said the police’s Athlenda Mathe. In July 2022, a group of women were raped while they were filming a music video in at an abandoned mine dump in West Village. The case sparked outrage across the nation, most notably after the National Prosecuting Authority determined a lack of evidence sufficient to drop charges against 13 suspects.