SOUTH AFRICA witnessed six times more murders (per 100 000) during the 2016/2017 financial year than the global average, whilst carjacking and robbery with aggravated circumstances stats are at their highest for the past decade.
These stats were broken down by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) after Police Minister Fikile Mbalula released crime statistics in parliament on Tuesday.
Murders have increased by 1.8%, with 19 016 being recorded, amounting to some 54 murders per day in the country.
Ironically, Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi was attending the funeral of his nephew Andile‚ who was stabbed in Gugulethu‚ a mere 20-minute drive from where the minister was speaking.
Vehicle hijackings remain a cause for concern with a staggering 14.5% increase as 16 717 hijacked vehicles were recorded in the previous financial year (2016/2017) – amounting to 46 per day.
ALSO READ: New hijacking modus operandi
Aggravated robberies increased by 6.4% with 140 956 robberies with aggravated circumstances accounted for, at least 386 per day.
From April 2016 to March 2017 at least 61 homes robberies occurred per day resulting in a 7.3% increase with 22 343 home robberies recorded in South Africa.
Mbalula announced that robbery will be treated as a ‘serious focus area’.
Furthermore he noted the statistics as being indicative of police efforts which he said are ‘lazy’ in deterring crime.
‘Crime is in general down, but when you zoom into the numbers, we have a big problem where violent crime is going up, and there is no time to hide this,’ Mbalula said.
He issued a stern warning to criminal gangs.
‘Ulibambe Lingashoni – I am coming for you hard, enough is enough,’ said Mbalula.
#CrimeStats in Tweets:
#CrimeStats Let’s not be fooled: levels in some categories are down but the overall figures are still very high. #MakeSAsafe
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) October 24, 2017
[NOW LIVE] Police Minister Fikile Mbalula releases this year's #CrimeStats to Parliament's Police Committee. Courtesy #DStv 403 pic.twitter.com/DBdlAKWuPk
— eNCA (@eNCA) October 24, 2017
Fikile Mbalula: Crime in general has decreased.. Retweet if you know that he is lying. #CrimeStats
— Man’s NOT Barry Roux (@AdvoBarryRoux) October 24, 2017
ALSO READ: MEC declares war on crime
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