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Police Minister Bheki Cele.
- Liquor is a contributing factor to violent crime in South Africa, including rape, assault, and attempted murder.
- Police Minister Bheki Cele says that alcohol contributed to 829 GBH assault cases, 747 rape cases, and 179 assassination attempts.
- Between July and September 2020, 5,107 people were killed in South Africa.
Liquor is a contributing factor to violent crime in the country, including rape, assault and attempted murder, Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Friday.
Published quarterly crime statistics for the period, July to September 30, 2020.
Cele said that alcohol contributed to 829 GBH assault cases, 747 rape cases and 179 attempted murder cases.
“Figures show that alcohol use and abuse is a causal factor in hundreds of murder cases recorded in the second quarter; more than 1000 incidents of murder, attempted murder, rape and assault took place inside or outside of retail outlets of alcoholic beverages, such as bars, taverns, shebeens and discos.
“These numbers make it impossible to deny the true effects of alcohol abuse,” Cele said.
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He said the crime statistics reflected a country that enjoyed fewer restrictions under the Disaster Management Act.
Between July and September 2020, 5,107 people were killed in South Africa.
“This meant that 339 fewer people died, compared to the same period last year. This is also the lowest figure in the last four second quarters of 2017/18 to date. From a sample of 4,290 murder files, the analysis revealed that 1992 of the murders occurred in public spaces such as beaches, parks, streets or open fields. More than 900 people died in their homes or in the homes of those who ended their lives, “said Cele.
Cele said there has been a decrease in the number of reported sex crimes.
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“This means that there was a 16.8% drop in crimes such as rape and sexual assault. Although there was a decrease of 18.8% in the number of rape cases, the months of July, August and September of 2020 were dangerous months for thousands of women at that time 8,922 cases of rape were reported.
“More than 1,000 people were raped in public places such as parks, beaches, parking areas or open fields. The same analysis also revealed that more people were raped in Kwa-Zulu Natal than in any other province,” Cele said.
In the three months of reporting, there have been 7,339 cases of cattle theft across the country, involving 26,322 sheep and more than 14,000 cattle.
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Cele said there has been a decline in stock theft cases across the country, except in the Northern Cape.
“If we want to rid the country of stock theft, we have to tackle the entire value chain from the top right to the carnage where the stolen meat ends up. This crime that I believe is a form of ‘economic sabotage’ must be addressed not only by the police, but also by involving other departments that can assist in tracking, tracing, marking and movement of stocks.
“We have created a task force to investigate the theft of shares in the Free State and we are confident that this will give results,” said Cele.
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