A Heartbreaking Tale: SAPS Loses Woman's GBV Evidence

• A South African woman took to TikTok in despair after discovering that SAPS had misplaced all the evidence for her gender-based violence case.
• Alessandra meticulously stored all her evidence on her phone, trusting the police to safeguard it while they downloaded the data.
• When she retrieved her phone, she realized her SIM card was missing, and all her crucial information had vanished.
• Briefly News consulted with educator Kelley Nele to delve deeper into the meaning of consent and the circumstances under which an encounter may be classified as assault.

A woman from Mzansi faced an emotional ordeal after SAPS misplaced the evidence for her gender-based violence case. Alessandra had diligently gathered information about her perpetrator, storing it all on her phone, hoping it would help bring justice.

With faith in the system, Alessandra handed her device over to the authorities for them to review and download the evidence. However, her trust was shattered when the police not only failed to protect her data but also wiped her phone clean and destroyed her SIM card.

Woman's Despair: SAPS Mishandles GBV Evidence

The South African justice system has long been scrutinized, but the recent Thabo Bester saga has intensified public criticism. Now, SAPS finds itself in hot water again after mishandling a woman's GBV case. Alessandra had meticulously gathered substantial evidence against her abuser, storing every detail on her phone. She entrusted her device to the police, hoping they would handle it with care. Instead, they erased her phone and left her without a SIM card.

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Alessandra’s emotional breakdown was captured on TikTok, where she shared her heart-wrenching story. Her voice trembling, she wrote in her caption:

“The South African Police lost the only evidence I had. From the start, they’ve only made things worse. I decided to report my case to SAPS, but despite providing them with crucial information—his full name, birthday, mother's name, and social media activity—they couldn’t locate him. Without his ID number, they couldn’t issue an arrest warrant, and due to the POPI Act, they couldn’t find his ID number either.

“Even after providing direct links to his social media profiles, the constable handling my case contacted the wrong people with similar names. The prosecutor who was supposed to meet with me canceled our only meeting, passing the case to a colleague who hasn’t reached out once. While my phone was in evidence, I missed an SMS from the prosecutor because my SIM card was in their possession. I only learned about it through a text to my partner from the constable, a message I knew nothing about.

“When I went to collect my phone and SIM card, the process was a nightmare. After signing the wrong paperwork, they made me go back and forth across the road. When I finally retrieved my phone, there was no SIM card. I asked to void my signature and retrieve the SIM card, but they refused to give me a pen. They claimed there was no SIM card because it wasn’t logged in the book when the phone was handed in. Yet, the phone clearly showed successful Bluetooth transfers, proving the chat logs were downloaded.

“They insisted I must not have handed in the SIM card, which is impossible. After going back and forth with the constable’s boss, they told me to wait until the constable returned from leave, despite the fact she hasn’t had the phone since it was handed in. I left in tears, utterly defeated, with a phone but no SIM card.”

Watch Alessandra's emotional video below:

What Is Consent, and When Does It Become Assault?

To better understand the dynamics of consent and assault, Briefly News spoke with educator Kelley Nele. She explained the distinction clearly:

“Consent occurs when two or more individuals mutually agree to participate in a specific sexual act. It is typically given before the act takes place and can be withdrawn at any point. A situation can be classified as assault when the agreed-upon boundaries are violated during the sexual act, or when one party rescinds consent for any reason and the other party ignores it.”

Mzansi Reacts: Outrage Over SAPS Mishandling

Social media erupted with outrage over SAPS’s handling of Alessandra’s case. Users expressed disbelief and anger:

@Zoe believed that the police were bribed:

“They didn’t lose the evidence; they took a bribe to get rid of it. I’m so sorry for your experience. Please consider hiring a lawyer and suing if you can.”

@Sebati.l echoed the sentiment:

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“SAPS is incredibly incompetent. They probably destroyed the evidence. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through.”

@blissfully expressed sympathy for Alessandra:

“I’m so sorry, babe. As a survivor, your cries resonate deeply with me.”

SA Citizens Frustrated by Drunk Driving Kit Shortage

Briefly News also reported on another concerning issue: South Africans are growing increasingly frustrated with policing after SAPS confirmed a shortage of drunk driving testing kits. The reliance on imported vials for these kits means that authorities are unable to effectively enforce laws against driving under the influence. Advocacy groups argue that this shortage reveals a lack of seriousness by the police regarding drunk driving.

Organizations across the country have condemned the situation, stating that it highlights a broader issue of police incompetence and neglect of public safety.