Johannesburg – Murder and rape cases in South Africa shot up between April and June from a year earlier, when the country was under a strict coronavirus lockdown, police figures showed on Friday.
At least 10 000 rapes and 5 700 murders were recorded over the three months, an increase of just over 60% from the same period last year.
The latest numbers show an increase of less than 1% over the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
“The double-digit increases don’t necessarily reflect a true picture because they are being compared to an abnormal period,” Police Minister Bheki Cele told a televised media briefing from Pretoria, referring to the hard lockdown when movement was barred.
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Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the figures translated to a 0.6% increase, he said.
During the period under review, anti-virus restrictions had been loosened significantly with movement of people permitted during non-curfew hours.
South Africa is among the most violent countries, and its murder rates are constantly increasing.
In 2019-2020, the country saw more than 21 000 murders, according to annual police numbers – up 1.4% on the previous year.
From a sample of over 4,000 killings police “found that arguments, misunderstandings that are not domestic-related and road rage … were the highest contributors to murder,” said Major-General Thulare Sekhukhunea, a police statistician.
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Source: AFP
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