CRIME STATS | More than 7,000 killed between July and September

There was a 13.6% increase in the number of reported murder cases between July and September this year. 

This was revealed by police minister Bheki Cele, who said 7,004 people were murdered during those months. 

“This is an increase of 841 more people murdered compared to the same period in 2021, when the country was placed under Covid-19 lockdown levels 4, 3 and 2. Arguments, misunderstandings, incidents of road rage and provocations accounted for 956 murders,” he said. 

Arguments, misunderstandings and incidents of road rage and provocations were the biggest contributors to the murders, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for most cases, followed by the Western Cape and Gauteng. 

Vigilantism was said to have contributed to incidents that claimed the lives of 528 people, while 362 people were killed during robberies.

Cele said Inanda and Umlazi police stations in KwaZulu-Natal and Nyanga station in the Western Cape registered the highest counts of murder during this period. A total of 274 murders were reported in those three areas combined.

Firearms were the instrument used in most reported murders cases.

“A total of 2,808 people were shot and killed and 961 of the reported murders in KwaZulu-Natal were as a result of firearms, followed by Gauteng with 768 murders. A total of 526 people died from gunshot wounds in the Western Cape,” Cele said. 

POLICE KILLINGS

Cele said fighting crime has come at a cost for members of the police service across the country.

He said 22 police officers were killed between July and September 2022,  a slight decrease compared to the same reporting period last year.

“It is on this note that this ministry will never stop calling on police members to defend themselves at all times from ruthless criminals whenever they are under attack. It is quite simple: police must meet fire with fire.”

MULTIPLE MURDERS

Cele said the high murder figure can also be attributed to multiple murders, where two or more people were killed in one incident.

“Police are investigating 250 dockets of multiple murders with 578 victims. This included the mass shooting at Mdlalose tavern in Soweto, when 17 people were killed in July in a single shooting incident. Police have arrested five suspects for their role in that shooting,” he said. 

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