A SAPS trainee from Kimberley will not be able to graduate this year after she exposed alleged gender-based violence and sexual harassment at the police training academy.
A SOUTH African Police Service (SAPS) trainee from Kimberley will not be able to graduate this year after she blew the lid on alleged gender-based violence and sexual harassment within the police training academy.
The 32-year-old trainee said she was suspended from SAPS Academy Tshwane in Pretoria last week after reporting that she was sexually harassed by her trainer.
She added that she realised that it was necessary to speak out to stop the abuse and to be a voice for those too afraid to do so.
She attempted suicide in September, as she felt powerless and dreaded the thought of returning home without completing her training.
“I was afraid to speak out, but I couldn’t endure his sexual advances any longer. What was I going to tell my family, who were rooting for me, if I came home without my badge? My nephew bragged to everyone that I was going to be a police officer. At the time, it [suicide] seemed like it was the only solution, but luckily, someone managed to stop me from taking my own life.”
She believes she was stigmatised and victimised not only for reporting her trainer but also due to her LGBTQI status.
“I lost count of how many times I locked myself in the toilet to cry. I was treated like a sexual object by someone I was supposed to respect,” she said.
“I had a strictly trainer-trainee relationship but he made intrusive comments about my weight loss, my buttocks, breasts and thighs. I struggled with setting boundaries as I did not want to come across as rude.”
She added that in August, he allegedly grabbed her wrist and told her to “make a child with him”.
“He tried to force me to tell him things that aroused me. That is the last time that I went to his class.”
She stated that she was prevented from attending classes and platoon meetings.
“I was hospitalised for six days after attempting to commit suicide and was kept from my classes without any referral letters. At the same time, I was warned that I would be dismissed due to my non-attendance of classes. This is despite my leave of absence not being a medical instruction but rather an instruction from the management.”
She added that a decision was made to postpone her firearm training until she completed outpatient counselling sessions with a psychologist.
She said her fellow trainees related that they felt unsafe around her, and she was falsely accused of threatening platoon members.
“I am getting the necessary help to make a full recovery. I never threatened anyone. I was withdrawn and never reached out to anyone about my ordeal.”
She added that she was served with a suspension letter on October 22.
“I was told that I am incapable of training due to a medical condition, which was not disclosed to me. I refused to sign a dismissal letter. I did not give consent for my psychologist’s report to be shared and it is supposed to be a confidential document.”
She recalled that a psychiatrist had asked her in a “condescending tone” if it was “normal for a person to hang herself”.
“I explained that I was willing to consider admission to a psychiatric hospital once I had completed my training. She asked me why I was thinking about my future when I had decided to take my own life.
“Instead of addressing the root of the problem, I was victimised, humiliated and suspended.”
She added that she eventually broke down after being detained in the duty room, “doing nothing” and under constant watch.
“I had enough and called my mother to come and fetch me. I was treated like a criminal and was heavily guarded at all times because of the false threats.”
She stated that suspended trainees had to wait a year before they could resume classes.
“I would go back tomorrow. I am stronger now and know how to stand up for myself. I want to join the police force so that I can fight gender-based violence and femicide, drug abuse and lawlessness.”
She pleaded for a chance to complete her assessments.
“I refuse to be defeated. I am focused on working hard to achieve my goals. I refuse to be a victim ever again. The discipline at the college has brought out the best in me.”
The director of the Shaine Griqua Advice and Development Centre in Kimberley, Shaine Griqua, requested intervention from the national and provincial commissioners to speed up the process to enable her to graduate in December.
He also condemned the lack of action taken against the alleged perpetrator.
“Law enforcement officials should not be protected when they are caught in acts of wrongdoing. I have also reported the incident to the Commission for Gender Equality and the MEC for Safety and Liaison,” said Griqua.
He emphasised that more needs to be done to protect victims of gender-based violence and demanded a full-scale investigation into the alleged incident.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe pointed out that the SAPS did not discriminate against any person’s sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender identity.
“The SAPS national commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, is aware of the matter and has instructed that an investigation into all allegations must be fast-tracked. Other matters pertaining to the suspension of training cannot be discussed in the media as they contain sensitive and confidential details,” said Mathe.
She added that allegations of sexual harassment were treated with the “utmost care and urgency”, in accordance with the service’s sexual harassment policy.
