Opposition parties in parliament have rubbished suggestions by Police Minister Bheki Cele that most crimes have dropped over the last few months.
They argue that the latest crime statistics are inaccurate and grossly misleading.
Cele attributed a drop in crime mainly to the lockdown, non-availability of alcohol and the increased police visibility.
In this video below, Cele releases crime statistics for the first quarter 2020/2021:
But the Democratic Alliance (DA) says the stats are in fact an indictment on the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the minister.
They accuse him of being more worried about people flouting the alcohol and tobacco ban, than violent and crimes.
The Pan Africanist Congress says the minister ignored the most serious crimes by organised syndicates.
They say even crimes that are said to be dropping, are in fact on the increase.
The opposition parties say they will be writing to Cele, to request him to provide clarity on several problematic and confusing aspects of the statistics.
