If you are in danger right now, call your local emergency number. Escrow is not an emergency service.
How to report sexual assault in Cape Town
This is what we have read and stored about reporting in Cape Town. Read only the part you need. You do not have to decide anything today.
Checked against official sources on 29 August 2026.
the emergency number
If you are in danger right now, call this number. Escrow is not an emergency service and cannot send anyone to you.
where to report
You can report directly to a Thuthuzela Care Centre or to any police station, and staff will help you open a case. In Cape Town, Thuthuzela Care Centres operate at Karl Bremer Hospital, Heideveld Hospital, and Victoria Hospital's forensic unit.
what to bring
No documents or ID are required to make a report, and you can get medical care before deciding whether to open a police case.
the exam window
The forensic medical exam is free at a Thuthuzela Care Centre. You can consent to or skip any step, and evidence collection is most reliable within 72 hours of the assault.
the deadline
South Africa's Constitutional Court removed the time limit for prosecuting sexual offences in 2018. You can report at any time, no matter how long ago the assault happened.
support organisations
People near you who do this every day.
These are independent of Escrow. They can sit with you through a report, and they can also just talk.
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust (24-hour helpline)
Rape Crisis WhatsApp support (weekdays)
sources
Every fact above came from one of these.
- Thuthuzela Care Centres
South African Government · checked 29 August 2026
- Thuthuzela Care Centres
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust (NGO) · checked 29 August 2026
- Contact Us
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust (NGO) · checked 29 August 2026
other places
The rest of South Africa, and the countries next to it.
If you were somewhere else in South Africa, read how to report sexual assault in South Africa. It covers the towns we have not written up yet.
This is information, not legal advice.
Requirements change, deadlines are read differently by different offices, and a station can move. Nobody here is your lawyer. For advice about your own case, ask a lawyer or a support organisation in Cape Town.
Write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app if something on this page is out of date.
when you are ready
A report is yours. You can seal it, publish it as a pin, or leave it where it is. Nothing happens until you say so.
Was this hard to find anywhere else? Answer 7 questions and the count becomes public. No name, no email.