SA’s murder rate up by 6.6%

A 6.6% increase in murder was recorded during the third quarter of the 2020/21 financial year in South Africa.

The top four factors of the deaths are arguments, robberies at a household and businesses, mob justice incidents and gang-related killings.

Police Minister Bheki Cele released the country’s crime statistics on Friday afternoon.

“This means 389 more people were killed compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year,” says the Minister.

Of the killing, 193 were due to domestic violence.

Mpumalanga province recorded the highest increase of 13.7% when compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.

Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape provinces recorded a decline in their murder cases.

Sexual offences have increased by 5%, with 12 218 people raped between October and December last year.

The Police Minister says there has been 181 more rape cases compared to the previous reporting period.

They amount to a 1.5% increase in such incidents.

“Over 4 900 of the rape incidents took place at the home of the victim or the home of the rapist; 570 were domestic violence-related and 547 of rape cases in this category, involved female victims and 23 were males. Inanda, Umlazi in Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape’s Lusikisiki police stations recorded the highest incidents of rape,” he says.

Minister Bheki Cele presents the quarterly crime statistics:

The Minister once again rejected claims of a shortage of evidence collection kits, also known as Rape Kits, at the country’s police stations.

Cele says the 2019 three-year contract for the supply of the kits is still in place.

“The availability of the “rape kits” at all provinces is confirmed on a weekly basis and replenishment is done as per the stations request. So the statement by the EFF calling for my head due to what it terms a shortage of rape kits in 76% of police stations since July 2020, is false and downright misleading. Trying to score cheap political points, using the painful ordeal of thousands of rape victims and survivors, is just disgusting, to say the least,” he says.

The Minister says gender-based violence (GBV) and Femicide remain a priority crime for the SAPS and they are daily improving their services and responses.

“As the SAPS we are motivated that numerous life sentences have been handed down for crimes committed against women and children. In the three months of reporting, the FCS secured 129 life sentences. I really hope these jail terms also reassure victims of GBV of our efforts as law enforcement to bring them justice,” he says.