Cape Town – South Africa recorded a decrease in the murder and sexual offences rate in the crime statistics for the last quarter, covering Aril to June 2023.
This was revealed by MinisterBheki Cele and police service leadership during a briefing before Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee on Friday.
Police General Norman Sekhukhune presented the data, showing a 3.1% decrease in murder cases compared to the previous reporting period, totalling 6 228 murders.
However, attempted murders increased by 7% to 5 969 cases.
BHEKI CELE RELEASES Q1 CRIME STATS https://t.co/fLnpqCar98
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 18, 2023
In terms of regions, Inanda in KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of reported murder cases, followed by Umlazi, Delft, Gugulethu, and Harare in the Western Cape.
Notably, there was an increase of 20.6% in child murders and a 15.3% increase in attempted child murders.
Sexual offences also saw a decrease, with 11 616 cases reported between April and June 2023.
Additionally, the statistics highlighted a rise in crimes against South African Police Services, with 31 officers killed during the same period, resulting in the arrest of 24 individuals.
Out of the 31, ten officers were killed while on duty, and 21 were killed while off-duty. Gauteng had the highest number of officer deaths (12), up from four in the same period the previous year, while the Western Cape saw a decrease with one less officer killed.
Additionally, 13 law enforcement officers and security guards were also killed during this time.
6228 people were killed in SA between April and June this year. Crime expert Mary De Haas says violent crime levels, especially gun crimes, are way too high. She has also questions if the #CrimeStats released today were independently audited.
Watch: https://t.co/XlhLjrMOGT pic.twitter.com/rRk8WPneaY
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 18, 2023
Members of parliament’s police portfolio committee expressed concern over these statistics and questioned police officials about the motives behind the murders and which officers were being targeted.
The National Police Commissioner General Fanie Masemola said that the motives varied, with some officers being killed due to their work, both on and off-duty.
“They are killed on duty and also off-duty. They are killed in most cases for their work and some officers, even off-duty, they are killed for their work,” he said.
The Head of the Hawks provided more insight, saying that the reasons for murders were diverse, ranging from disputes at liquor outlets, to targeted attacks in certain areas, to conflicts arising from family relationships.
“The cases are on the court roll. With regards to the reasons for the murders, they vary. We have observed there are areas when weapons are targeted.
Police Minister Bheki Cele released the quarterly crime stats to Parliament this morning. There was a decline in both the murder rate and sexual offences cases. But attempted murder cases show an alarming increase. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/JygmCCECdZ
— eNCA (@eNCA) August 18, 2023
“There are times when there are disputes at liquor outlets and there are those who are targeted while on duty because of the nature of the work they are doing. Suspects usually target them. There are incidents where it seems family relationships might trigger the killing of some colleagues,” he said
Minister Cele expressed cautious optimism about the positive direction in the crime stats but emphasised the need for sustained progress.
“We’ve realised we’ve taken the right direction, I’m sure the green shoots will be there. Not much but we think, as we said last time, it looks like we are turning the tide. We hope the trend will grow.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
