Exploring the Nexus between Alcohol Abuse and Rape Cases in Limpopo Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper explores the linkage between alcohol abuse and rape cases in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Contemporarily in South Africa, the media is saturated with news and reports of rape incidences. Official police records and crime statistics have also shown an increase in the menace.Although measures were taken by the State to address the menace, they have not really been productive. From the findings of a broader doctoral study, using qualitative method approach, it was discovered that there is a strong linkage between alcohol abuse and rape in Limpopo province. In point of fact, alcohol abuse was reputed as the main causative factor of rape in the province. The researchers also found that despite the increased awareness level of the linkage between alcohol abuse and rape, appropriate actions at combating the menace were found to be weak and ineffective.