Contact crimes still high in Mamelodi, crime stats show
“Crime statistics again show that we as communities continue to fail to protect some of the most vulnerable in society: our children.”
Mamelodi East police precinct ranked 17th for contact crimes in Gauteng from July to September.
This came out when police minister Bheki Cele released the national crime statistics in Pretoria last month.
Compared to the same period in 2021, when the country was still under Covid lockdown, contact crimes have increased by 3.9% from 711 to 739 cases reported.
Other crimes that have increased:
– Assault with the intent to inflict grievously body harm (GBH) rose from 165 to 175 cases – an increase of 4.2%.
– Common assault increased by 10.5% with 247 cases compared to 273.
– Robbery at non-residential premises increased by 5% from 19 to 24 cases.
Crimes that have decreased include:
– Contact crime decreased by 0.7% from 134 to 133 cases.
– Only one CIT robbery case was reported.
– Carjacking decreased by 11.1% from 54 to 48 cases.
– Trio crime decreased by 1.1% from 88 to 81 cases.
– Malicious damage to property decreased by 2.3% from 133 to 130 cases.
“South Africa remains worrying and unacceptable; many are killed by the people they know, people they love and trust,” Cele said.
“Crime statistics again show that we as communities continue to fail to protect some of the most vulnerable in society: our children.”
Shockingly, in just six months from April to September 2022, 558 children were killed in South Africa.
“The police are investigating attempted murder dockets of 294 children from July to September 2022,” said Cele.
“A total of 1 895 GBH cases, with children as victims, were opened with the police during this period.
It is on this note that the SAPS continues to prioritise gender-based violence (GBV) related crime.”
Here are some of the major cases that left Mamelodi residents shocked with disbelief:
No bail for Mamelodi man accused of slitting girlfriend’s child’s throat:
In July, the Pretoria regional court dismissed a second bail application by Sipho Nkosi, accused of cutting the throat of his girlfriend’s eight-year-old daughter “execution-style” on April 24 in Mamelodi.
The accused faced a charge of attempted murder and the police have added another gender-based violence charge emanating from 2019.
It is believed that Nkosi, was the partner to the victim’s mother at the time and the attack followed an argument between the two outside the family home.
Angry residents want to bail out rape-accused:
In September, angry residents of Newtown informal settlement threatened to bail out a 37-year-old pastor accused of raping a 13-year-old girl.
The residents said they were prepared to set an example of the rapist should the court grant him bail.
Woman set alight in a critical condition:
Mamelodi police arrested three people on October 19 after a 36-year-old woman was left fighting for her life following a brutal arson attack in September.
The victim, Maria Mokwena (36) of Skierlik informal settlement near Heatherly cemetery, was doused in petrol and set alight.
Police spokesperson Constable Lethabo Mashiloane confirmed the three were arrested on attempted murder charges.
However, the court granted the three bail and the case remanded to January 27 for further investigations.
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