Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday released grim crime figures that show rape, murder, hijackings, and gender-based violence rose significantly.
“The first three months of this year were violent, brutal, and unsafe for many South Africans,” the police minister said.
He said January, February, and March of 2022 were especially brutal for women and children of this country.
“Murder, attempted murder, and assault GBH of women all recorded double-digit increases,” said Cele.
“Murder and assault GBH of children under the age of 17 years, also recorded sharp increases.
“However, the number of attempted murder cases of children has declined by 6.8%.”
Cele said in the three months of reporting, a 22.2% increase in murder was recorded.
As any as 1 107 more people were killed in South Africa between January and March compared to the same period in 2021.
“Out of the 6 083 people killed in the country, 898 of them were women and 306 where children under the age of 17 years,” said Cele.
“Alarmingly, the murder of children recorded a 37.2% increase in the period of reporting.”
The police minister said all sexual offences recorded a 13.7% increase with contact sexual offences recording the only decrease in this crime category.
The first three months of this year, 10 818 people were raped in South Africa.
“Almost half of the cases, a staggering 4 653 rapes took place at the home of the rape victim or the home of the rapist,” the police minister said.
All other contact crimes we also up.
There were 3 306 kidnapping cases reported to the police.
“This crime trend has shown a sharp increase with over 1 700 more cases reported to the police compared to the same comparative period,” the police minister said.
As many as 42 992 cases of assault GBH and 45 746 cases of common assault were opened with the police in the three months of reporting.
“Out of the 42 992 cases of assault GBH, 1 937 were children under 17 years,” Cele said.
Car and truck hijacking, cash-in-transit heists and arson went up by about 20 percent or more.
However, Cele said the police have made some gains and intercepted greedy criminal syndicates involved in extortion, kidnapping and cash-in-transit heists and drugs smuggling.
Reacting to the crime stats release, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said: “All South Africans are living in permanent fear that they will become the next crime statistic.”
Member of Parliament Andrew Whitfield MP – the DA Shadow Minister of Police described the situation as “The 90 day bloodbath”.
Whitfield added: “The DA is horrified by the crime statistics for the 4th quarter of 2021/2022 which have exposed the violent bloodbath of crime that stains communities across South Africa.”
Ian Cameron, director of community safety at Action Society. said: “While South Africa is commemorating child protection week, the new crime statistics show that child murders are up by 37% in the last quarter.
“It is a disgrace that children are not safe in our country, and all because of political interference in law-enforcement.”
Cameron said that South Africa was a “bloodbath and that cadre deployment is the root cause of the destruction of the South African Police Service”.
Member of Parliament Brett Herron, the GOOD party’s Secretary-General said: “The Crime Stats paint a horrifying picture of a country gripped by violent crime with murder still on the rise.
“A 22% increase in murders, an undeniable measurement of the violence our communities endure, exposes our failure as a country to secure the right to life and peace.
“The increase in the number of rapes and sexual offences is shocking.”
