Crime statistics released yesterday painted a bleak picture of crime in the country as nearly 6 200 people were killed between April and June this year.
Of those more than 1 200 were women and children: 966 women were killed and 314 children were murdered.
The nation’s crime statistics were revealed in Parliament yesterday by new Police MInister Senzo Mchunu.
Police portfolio committee chairperson Ian Cameron said it was “patently unacceptable” that, “on average at least three people are murdered per hour in South Africa and three kids are murdered in the country per day”.
Overall 6 198 people were killed ‒ there were 30 fewer murders in the first quarter of the 2024-25 financial year ‒ but at least four provinces recorded increases. There was a 19.7% increase in attempted murder.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the number of murders stood at 1 455 with a decrease of 8.1% compared with the same period last year.
Gauteng followed with 1 380 murders, a decrease of 7.3%; Eastern Cape recorded 1 169 (a decrease of 2.6%). Western Cape showed the highest increase at 21.2%, pushing the killings to 1 130.
The top 30 stations for murder were in Western Cape with 11 stations, KwaZulu-Natal with eight, Eastern Cape six and Gauteng five.
The leading stations were Nyanga, Inanda, uMlazi, Khayelitsha and Harare.
Mchunu said the numbers told a “sobering” story that reflected the severity of the challenge the country’s citizens faced.
“These numbers represent more than just figures on a page. They reflect the lived realities of our citizens ‒ their fears, their losses and their hopes for a safer tomorrow,” Mchunu said.
He noted with concern that crime was generally on the increase.
“The data is a stark reminder of the urgent need for action. We are confronted with a crisis that threatens the safety of our communities and undermines the stability of our nation. Contact crimes, in particular, are wreaking havoc and instilling fear. This is unacceptable, and we must confront this challenge with unwavering resolve and strategic precision,” he said.
“Crimes that should worry us most are murder, rape, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom payments and extortion,” he said.
The statistics showed that contact crime increased by 2.6% overall with 153 637 cases.
There were 9 309 recorded cases of rape, with the highest numbers in Gauteng with 1 921, KwaZulu-Natal with 1 895, Eastern Cape 1 466 and Western Cape 1 037; 91 incidents of rape and 12 murders were reported as having taken place at an educational institution.
Mchunu said 21 officers had been killed in the first quarter, 16 while off duty and five at work.
Carjackings increased in the Eastern and Western Cape, with sedans, hatchbacks and coupes being the most hijacked vehicles.
Mchunu said the number of cash-in-transit heists in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng were still a concern, although the overall number had come down.
“We will be meeting with various cash-in-transit companies to discuss measures aimed at curbing this crime.
“We have been reading about kidnappings and extortion cases in the media; 135 cases of kidnapping for ransom were recorded in the first quarter, with Gauteng and KZN accounting for 81 and 15 cases respectively.”
He warned extortionists that police were on the lookout for them.
“We want to identify them, arrest them and bring them to justice. We want to warn them not to resist arrest when called to stop by police,” he said, referring to a shootout on Thursday night in which “about four suspected extortionists were shot dead in Milnerton by police after they opened fire on them, four other suspects were injured”.
Mchunu said bringing crime levels down was their top priority to protect the citizens and make them feel safe again.
He said they would professionalise the SAPS, use technology and strengthen crime intelligence.
Cameron said the crime statistics pointed to the need to urgently capacitate the detective and crime intelligence services as a tool to reverse the scourge of crime in South Africa.
“One of the contributing factors to an unsafe country is the inability to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of crime. With enhanced training and capacitation of detectives, crimes will be effectively investigated and perpetrators will be prosecuted,” Cameron said.
“We will not fight crime effectively with a limping intelligence service that is incapable to gather information and prevent crimes from happening.
“It is patently unacceptable that on average at least three people are murdered per hour in South Africa and three kids are murdered in the country per day.”
He said more boots on the ground without investigative capacity would render the increase in police officers pointless.
He expressed concern about the continuing murder of members of the SAPS.
“This is a direct affront to the rule of law and measures are needed to urgently resolve this problem,” Cameron said.
Rise Mzansi MP Makhashule Gana said the crime statistics pointed to the lived reality of communities across the country.
“Simply and tragically put, South Africans, in particular women, are not safe in both their homes and public spaces,” Gana said.
He said SAPS should halve the murder rate over the next five years, work with all stakeholders to deal with social contributors of crime, and upskill and employ more detectives.
“Rise Mzansi welcomes the Police Minister’s focus on the professionalising the police service and rooting out corruption, capacitating the crime intelligence unit and investing in technology.
“We also welcome the categorisation of extortion, which has collapsed economic and social activities in particular in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.”
Saturday Star