JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has revealed that the national sex offenders register (NSOR) has 32,557 convicted sex offenders, with an additional 10,456 potential entries pending in various courts.
This was revealed in a parliamentary written reply to a Build One SA question regarding the number of people on the list, which was meant to be published on February 28.
The publicising of the list was delayed due to strict confidentiality provisions under the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act, which prohibits the publication of any information contained in the register, except when required to do so.
Kubayi said the number of people who will be on the register on the day of publication is still unknown, as it’s regularly updated, but there are now more than 32,000 people on the list.
However, Build One SA has criticised the number, arguing that it’s low and does not accurately reflect the full scale of sexual offences in South Africa.
“Given the range of crimes covered under the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act, Bosa questions whether all qualifying offenders have been added to the register. South Africa faces one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual crimes globally, yet the current numbers appear unexpectedly low,” Bosa acting spokesperson Roger Solomons said.
The party has approached the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to request data on convictions related to sexual offences over the past 10 years to verify the accuracy of the number.
“We know that South Africa has a low reporting and conviction rate when it comes to sexual crimes, but we cannot simply accept that only 32,000 names appear on the register,” said Bosa deputy leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster. “It is imperative that we scrutinise this data to ensure that every convicted sexual offender is recorded and that the register serves its intended purpose of protecting potential victims.”
Bosa has been campaigning for the NSOR to be made public. About 20,000 people have signed the petition to have the NSOR made public.
Kubayi said efforts to make the register public are still under way.
“To strike a balance between privacy and public safety, my department has initiated a consultative process involving legal experts, institutions and the Office of the Information Regulator. This engagement will ensure that all necessary safeguards are in place while prioritising the safety of children and vulnerable people,” Kubayi said.
