Cape Town – Opposition parties are urging a reform of the police system in South Africa after a surge in the number of killings.
The police released the third-quarter crime statistics, revealing 7 710 murders in the three months from October to December 2023, averaging about 83 murders per day.
This marked an increase from previous years, with calls for an overhaul of the police system and a redirection of funds from VIP protection to hiring more officers.
According to EWN, Herman Mashaba, the President of ActionSA, said that South Africans were facing a crisis.
He emphasised the necessity to reduce the VIP protection budget and channel those funds towards recruiting additional police officers.
[VIEWER QUESTION] Police Minister Bheki Cele released the latest crime stats yesterday. Around 7,700 people were murdered between October and December last year. Do you think the figures are a true reflection of what’s happening on the ground? Send us your thoughts on… pic.twitter.com/Ji8ECnijZM
— eNCA (@eNCA) February 17, 2024
Meanwhile, Roger Solomons from Build One South Africa said that given the alarming statistics, Bheki Cele’s position as Police Minister was no longer sustainable.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), criticised the government, saying crime had steadily worsened since the African National Congress came to power in 1994, AFP reported.
“We are not going to solve the crime problem in South Africa unless we change the way in which we conduct policing,” DA leader John Steenhuisen said, calling for a devolution of policing powers to local and provincial authorities.
But the Minister of Police Bheki Cele said police efforts to fight criminals were proving effective, and more resources had been allocated to stations dealing with high numbers of murders.
“The tide is turning against crime,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
