Murder rate in South Africa has increased by 11.5% during the first quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year, said Police Minister Bheki Cele as he was presenting the quarterly crime statistics.
More than 6400 people were murdered in South Africa in just three months between April and June which is a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
Presenting the quarterly statistics, Cele said 6,424 people were killed during the first quarter, an increase of 664 compared with the same period last year when the country was in lockdown level one and two.
The main cause of the huge increase in the murder rate is attributed to misunderstandings, retaliations, revenge and vigilantism.
When averaged over the 91 days between April and June, that’s 71 people murdered in the country every day.
SAPS said this equates to 11 murders per 100, 000 people in South Africa for the three-month period- a rate which has steadily increased over the years, from 8 per 100, 000 in 2018.
Firearms are the most frequently used murder weapons, followed by knives and other sharp instruments.
The Umlazi, Plessislaer police station in KwaZulu-Natal and uMthatha station in Eastern Cape registered the highest number of murder cases during this period, with 221 murder cases reported in those three areas combined.
“The police ministry and SAPS management recently met with Umlazi policing structures, traditional and religious leaders, business and the youth in an effort to tighten policing in the area,” Cele said.
“It is during this engagement that the improvement of police response time and shortage of vehicles and how environmental design impeded policing was raised sharply and is being urgently addressed at a national, provincial and local government level.”
The KwaZulu-Natal province recorded the highest number of multiple murders, followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. The majority of these murders were committed with a firearm, Cele said.
Source: News24, Times Live, Business Tech, Times Live, Business Day, image from Times Live: 123RF