Ballito residents have been warned to be on the lookout for a young man who has been indecently exposing himself to women in the popular KwaZulu-Natal north coast town.
Ballito Neighbourhood Watch (BNW), on its Facebook page on Monday, issued an alert about “unfortunate incidents of indecent exposure” in the town.
The body said it had received two reports about a white male, believed to be in his early 20s, who has been exposing himself to women.
“In the first incident a female jogger had passed the Boathouse when the driver of a white Toyota Aygo with GP plates stopped and asked for directions. He then exposed himself to her before driving away.”
In a separate incident two holidaymakers aged about 16 and 20, were walking on the boardwalk on Saturday when they were confronted by the man.
“When they got close to Clarke Bay, a young, clean-cut white male exposed himself to the women.”
BNW appealed to women to “report immediately if you fall prey to this person”.
The body also posted an image of the man from behind walking on the boardwalk.
“If you happen to know who this man is, please contact the authorities immediately. The lack of respect for females in our town is definitely not something that will be tolerated.”
BNW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Public indecency can lead to a fine of up to R4,000 or imprisonment for up to two years, or both, according to the Sexual Offences Act.
Public indecency is a common law crime, not always specified by legislation but rather determined by court rulings. The severity of the act and circumstances influence the sentence.
According to Psychology Today, a publication that focuses on psychology matters and human behaviour, “exhibitionistic disorder is a condition marked by the urge, fantasy or act of exposing one’s genitals to non-consenting people, particularly strangers.
“People with exhibitionistic disorder may have a preference to show their genitals to prepubescent children, adults or both. Some people may deny they show their genitals to unsuspecting others or deny the act causes them distress. If they have exposed themselves repeatedly to non-consenting people, they may receive a diagnosis of exhibitionistic disorder.”
