Police Minister Bheki Cele has released the quarter one (Q1) crime statistics for the 2022/23 financial year, and the number of murders in South Africa remains “high and worrisome”.
Between April and June this year, 6 424 people were killed by other persons in South Africa, the Minister’s statistics revealed.
“This is an increase of 664 more people murdered, compared to the same period last year, when the country was placed under COVID-19 Lockdown level one and two,” he pointed out.
The Minister highlighted the main causes of murder namely, arguments and misunderstandings, while retaliations and revenge murders were a second motive for murder.
Vigilantism was the third most likely cause of murder in South Africa.
Cele noted that the uMlazi, Plessislaer police stations in KwaZulu-Natal and uMthatha station in the Eastern Cape registered the highest murder cases during this period, with 221 murder cases reported in the three areas combined.
He said the Police Ministry and South African Police Service (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.
“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 national, provincial and local government level.
“The multi-stakeholder approach and working closely with the community in the Umlazi policing area, should have an impact on violent crime if sustained and maintained as agreed,” he said at a briefing on Friday.
