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People outside the Roodepoort First Instance Court as a 31-year-old suspect appears before the Roodepoort First Instance Court for the murder of Tshegofatso Pule.
Sharon Seretlo, Gallo Images
- It’s SHgovernance ead Gareth Newham says the crime statistics released Friday are a true reflection of the current violence in the country.
- Newham says that in addition to other reported violent crimes, South African women and children live in constant fear every day.
- Sonke’s Gender Justice spokesperson Given Sigauqwe says femicide in South Africa precedes Covid-19 as a pandemic.
Recent quarterly crime statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele show that citizens, particularly women and children, continue to be the most affected by violence.
The head of government of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Gareth Newham, told News24 that crime statistics released on Friday between July 1 and September 30 reflected the current violence in the country.
Newham said that in addition to other reported violent crimes, South African women and children lived in constant fear every day.
“The statistics related to murders and kidnappings are accurate. The least accurate statistics were for business robberies, while the figures for other crimes were accurate.
“The crimes of assault, sexual crimes and commercial crimes are less precise because half of the victims do not report to the police.
“Most of the crimes and sexual assaults were committed by people who are known to the victims or who live in the same space and neighborhood. With the murder, it is imperative that all the murders committed are reported to the police,” Newham said.
INFOGRAPHIC | Crime statistics 2020: what you need to know
He said that South Africa was a violent society compared to other parts of Africa and the world.
“Gender violence (GBV) [cases] They are also not reported to the police because, in some cases, the aggressors are protected and many victims prefer to remain silent and not tell their relatives.
“Some victims are blamed by their families every time they report a crime. Sometimes, incompetent police officers victimize and intimidate victims by questioning or unfairly blaming them. Some of our police officers are not properly trained to deal with victims of violence. gender, “Newham said.
Regarding cash thefts in transit, Newham said there was a 60% increase compared to last year.
“In general, there is an increase in robberies before the holiday season. During Level 5 and Level 4 of the national lockdown, there was a large reduction in robberies due to less movement of people.
“Currently, criminals make up for lost time during [the] strict lock. There is always some level of involvement of the police and security guards in some robberies. It is not only because of the participation of corrupt people, but because criminals are more strategic now.
“Are [the] criminal elites, who spend a lot of time planning robberies, how to avoid arrests and collaborate with corrupt cops, ”Newham said.
During his presentation of quarterly crime statistics on Friday, Police Minister Bheki Cele said that July, August and September 2020 were dangerous months for thousands of women in the country.
Given Sigauqwe, a spokesperson for Sonke Gender Justice, told News24 that South African women lived in a perpetual state of fear and not without reason.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 12.1 out of every 100,000 women are victims of femicide in South Africa each year, five times worse than the world average of 2.6.
“While an increase in violence was anticipated due to lockdown regulations, the pandemic should not be the scapegoat as the sole architect of this violence. It would be disingenuous for any of us to point to a singular moment in time.
“Femicide in South Africa precedes Covid-19 as a pandemic. The brutal and heinous crimes that are reported week after week indicate that a war has been waged on women’s bodies.
“This is not the time for the government to rest on its laurels. Relaxing lockdown regulations does not necessarily mean that women are no longer in danger,” said Sigauqwe.
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said the latest statistics were encouraging, with so-called person-to-person contact crimes dropping by 11.6%.
Groenewald said the numbers should, however, be viewed in the context of the shutdown period, during which most people stayed home.
“A major cause for concern is the increase in burglaries at residential premises and the sharp increase in murders on farms compared to the same period last year. Burglary at residential premises is the crime most feared by the public. It has increased by 8 , 5%, which is alarming.
“It is extremely traumatic for people to be dominated and robbed in the safety of their own homes and many people are also seriously injured during these incidents. The police must focus more on preventing this,” Groenewald said.
With regard to murders on farms, Groenewald said there was an alarming increase of 62.5% compared to the same period last year and they are once again calling for murders on farms to be declared a priority crime.
“Cele did say that attacks and murders on farms, like other violent crimes, will now also be considered priority crimes, as they are very serious crimes that warrant an immediate response. The theft of livestock is also linked to this.”
FF Plus also welcomed the action taken against corrupt police officers by Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole.
“The dismissal of the deputy police commissioner, Lieutenant General Bonang Mgwenya, is very good news. The police service must ensure that bad apples are removed from its ranks.
“It will help ensure that crime is fought more effectively in the future,” Groenewald said.
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