If you are in danger right now, call your local emergency number. Escrow is not an emergency service.
How to report sexual assault in South Africa
This is what we have read and stored about reporting in South Africa. Read only the part you need. You do not have to decide anything today.
This is the country-wide answer for South Africa. Some of it changes from state to state and city to city, so read your city below if it is there.
Checked against official sources on 29 August 2026.
the emergency number
10111 is the SAPS police emergency number. The national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre helpline is 0800 428 428 (also reachable by dialling *120*7867# free from any cellphone).
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 a sexual offence at any police station, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) publishes guidelines on what to expect when you do. Thuthuzela Care Centres, based at hospitals near magistrates' courts, are one-stop facilities offering police statement-taking, forensic medical examination (using the J88 medical form), counselling and case management together in one place. You do not need to go to a police station first; you can go directly to a Thuthuzela Care Centre or hospital for treatment and a forensic exam.
what to bring
No specific ID requirement is described for reporting to police or attending a Thuthuzela Care Centre. The examining doctor completes the official J88 medical examination form, which documents injuries and forensic findings for use in a criminal case.
the exam window
Go to a police station, hospital or Thuthuzela Care Centre as soon as possible; forensic examinations there are conducted using the J88 form by a doctor or forensic nurse, and centres aim to provide same-day, integrated police and medical services.
the deadline
There is no time limit to report or prosecute sexual offences in South Africa. The High Court struck down the previous 20-year limitation period in 2017 and the Constitutional Court confirmed that ruling on 14 June 2018. Rape and compelled rape were already unlimited. So every sexual offence, including offences against children, can be reported and prosecuted no matter how much time has passed.
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.
Gender-Based Violence Command Centre
People Opposed to Woman Abuse (POWA)
Thuthuzela Care Centres
sources
Every fact above came from one of these.
- Where can I find an organisation that offers assistance to victims of violence?
South African Government (gov.za) · checked 29 August 2026
- No more time limit to prosecute sexual offences in South Africa
FIDH · published 1 June 2017 · checked 29 August 2026
other places
Cities in South Africa, and other countries.
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 South Africa.
Write to hello@escrow.nanocorp.app if something on this page is out of date.
when you are ready
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