On 20 August 2021, the minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, released the crime statistics in South Africa for the 1st Quarter of this financial year 2021/2022. For the period April to June, 5 760 people were murdered while 10 006 people were raped.
In the three months of reporting, a 66,2 % increase in murder was recorded and a 72.4% increase in rape cases that were reported.
Police stats also recorded that there were 181 attacks on farms and smallholdings between April and the end of June 2021. 119 Of the incidents were robbery related, resulting in 15 murders.
The ministers report was broken down into the following categories:
MURDER
In the three months of reporting, a 66, 2 % increase in murder was recorded.
However compared to the previous normal period of 2019/2020 financial year, the murder rate would have increased by 6.7%.
Between April 2021 to end of June 2021, 5 760 people were killed in South Africa.
This is 2 294 more people killed compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.
Compared to a period without Lockdown, it would result in an increase of 362 more deaths.
Out of the Top 30 murder stations, the Khayelitsha, Phillipi East and Bityi police stations in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape recorded decreases in their murder figures.
But despite these drops, the volumes of murder remain high.
CAUSES OF MURDER
From a sample of 4 467 cases it was determined that a total of 2 531 people were murdered in public places like on the street, open field, parking areas and abandoned buildings.
1 385 murders occurred at the home of the victim or of the perpetrator.
206 of the murders occurred at Liquor outlets and are the fourth most likely place to be killed in South Africa.
Overall, contact crimes increased by 60.6% compared to the skewed same period last year, If comparison was made to the normal period, prior to the country being placed under lockdown Level 5, 4 and 3, this would have resulted in an increase of 0.6% .
The top four causative factors of these murders are arguments, robberies, mob justice incidents and gang-related killings.
We welcome the arrest of the 14th suspect linked to the brutal killing of 8 young men in Zandspruit on the 17th of May. We also call on police to improve their working relations and service delivery to communities, so that residents don’t resort to taking the law into their own hands
RAPE
10 006 people were raped between April and June 2021.
This is an increase of 4 201 cases, amounting to a 72.4% increase, compared to the skewed previous reporting period.
This number drops drastically to 2.8% if comparison was made to the normal period prior to Lockdown.
A sample of 5 439 rape cases revealed that 3 766 of the rape incidents took place at the home of the victim or the home of the rapist.
487 rape cases were domestic violence related.
The Inanda police station in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Delft in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape’s Lusikisiki police stations recorded the highest incidents of rape.
The 47.1% increase is recorded for Sexual offences when compared to the previous skewed reporting period, this figure is revised to 5.0% if compared to the previous normal period of 2019/2020 financial year
FARM ATTACKS
181 attacks on farms and small-holdings occurred between April and the end of June 2021.
119 of the incidents were robbery related, resulting in 15 murders.
PROPERTY RELATED CRIMES
While all Property Related crimes increased by 6.0%, Police continue to clamp down on Stock theft, which recorded a decrease of 8.0%. If comparison was made to the normal period of 2019/2020 this would have resulted in a 13.5% decrease.
Stock theft decreased in six of the nine provinces with the highest volume decrease recorded in the Eastern Cape of 398 incidents less. Burglary at non-residential premises declined drastically by 22.4%.
May I add that, that number would have decreased by 15.3% if compared to the 2019/2020 financial period.
ASSAULT
All assault categories reported double digit increases compared to the distorted reporting period on 2020/2021 period.
76 936 cases of common assault and assault GBH were opened with the police in the three months of reporting.
Over 15 thousand of the cases were Domestic Violence related, meaning the victim and perpetrator have a relationship.
The top three areas of occurrence of these assaults are at the home of the victim or perpetrator, public places and liquor outlets.
Arguments are by far the leading causes of the assaults.
TRIO CRIMES
The Trio Crimes also increased compared to the distorted reporting period on 2020/2021 period.
Aggravated robberies such as Carjacking increased by 92.2% compared to the previous corresponding period.
This figure would have increased by 13.1% if compared to the same period in 2019/2020.
There were 1 340 more residential robberies in the month of April to June 2020, compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year.
Compared to 2019/2020 financial year, there are 132 more cases recorded.
CITs
Ladies and Gentlemen,
46 Cash-in-Transit heists were committed between April and June this year. These figures show there were 27 more CITs heists compared to the previous reporting period.
However, compared to the same period in 2019/2020, 8 more cases were recorded.
It is clear that the thugs involved in CITs will stop at nothing to get what they want, including killing police officers and putting the lives of innocent people at risk.
With that said, police are pushing back on this crime trend.
Using intelligence and combination of shared resources, police continue to intercept and are taking down these highly organised gangs.
In June this year, Police conducted a take down operation in Midrand, where police intercepted a group of 27 heavily armed gang planning a CIT robbery. In the exchange of fire, 23 of them were arrested and four were fatally wounded.
Four of the 15 vehicles found on the scene were confirmed stolen, and high calibre firearms were found on the scene as well.
In a separate incident, in Brakpan, police also pounced on a gang plotting a CIT robbery three weeks ago that resulted in the fatal shooting of a police officer.
In this regard, I attended the funeral service of Gauteng Highway Patrol unit member, Constable Molwantwa Molefi who was fatally wounded during the exchange of fire; while two suspects were also fatally wounded in the same incident.
The National Commissioner has sanctioned an urgent internal investigation into the allegations of theft of firearms by police members at the Norwood Police Station, allegedly used by the CIT gang. This is in line with the departmental clean-up campaign.
While some of the suspects in the brakpan scene, managed to flee the scene, two of them were fatally wounded.
The police operation resulted in the arrest of 19 suspects and the recovery of scores of vehicles and firearms.
A total of 32 SAPS members have been killed in the first quarter of the 2021/2022 financial year. 9 of these members died while on duty and we salute them.
