Published in German under the title, Illusion der Stärke: Jugendbanden, vergewaltigung und kultuur der gewalt in Südafrika, in Der Überblick, No. 2, pp. 39-42, 1993.
by Lloyd Vogelman & Sharon Lewis
Violence against women is a virtually universal phenomenon, and it is widespread, common and deeply entrenched in most societies. Rape, one of the most conspicuous forms of this violence, has reached epidemic proportions in South Africa. It occurs in all spheres of society and all women are potential victims. Women’s fear of rape has begun to affect their basic day to day decisions and reduce their quality of life.
This paper will explore and attempt to explain the high incidence of rape in South Africa. The focus of the paper is on the phenomenon of gang rape, which in many ways crystallises the power issue which is at the nexus of rape. Gang rape is also an increasingly common form of rape: in a recent South African study, approximately forty four percent of rapists had engaged in gang rape, while in the United States it is estimated that one in four rapes are gang rapes. A description of “jackrolling” will provide an illustration of gang rape in the South African context.
It will be argued that rape is primarily an act of power, and to that any attempt to understand the aetiology of rape must take into account the wider social, economic and political factors, including the culture of violence from which subcultures draw their reference points. A detailed presentation of the individual and social factors which make up the aetiology of rape are beyond the scope of this paper, and so only a few of the central social and political factors which promote rape will be focused on.