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Police Minister Bheki Cele has released the latest crime statistics in South Africa, covering reported criminal activity between July and September 2020.
The data shows a massive increase in criminal activity almost across the board when the figures are compared to the previous quarter (April to June 2020); This is largely due to the fact that the previous quarter occurred during the biggest lockdown.
However, the level of crime has still decreased compared to the same period last year, with a decrease in the number of murders recorded across the country.
For the period between July 1 and September 31, 2020, the SAPS registered 5,107 murders in the country, a decrease of 6.2% compared to the same period last year.
When looking at the country’s total population statistics, the SAPS said that this equaled approximately 8.6 murders per 100,000 South Africans during the quarter.
Despite the decline, the data shows a clear increase in cases as the country continued to ease movement restrictions and moved to a level 1 lockdown.
As with the other major crime statistics in the country, the majority of cases were reported in the most populated areas of the country. KZN reported the highest number of murders during the reporting period (1,208), followed by Gauteng (1,091) and the Western Cape (1,013).
All provinces reported a decrease in the total number of murders compared to the same period last year, although SAPS data shows that this is steadily increasing.
Khayelitsha in the Western Cape reported the highest number of murders (54 murders), followed by Harare in the same province (60 murders). Inanda in KZN was the area with the most murders (57 murders) reported outside of the Western Cape.
The Western Cape has eight of the top killing areas in the country, with just two areas in KZN making up the rest of the top ten. Kagiso in Gauteng (30 murders) is the only area outside these two provinces to rank in the top 15.
“From a sample of 4,290 murder files, an analysis revealed that 1,992 of the murders occurred in public spaces such as beaches, parks, streets or open fields (1,992 murders in the period),” Cele said in her presentation.
“More than 900 people died in their homes or in the homes of those who ended their lives.”
Looking at the key causal factors for the South African killings, the SAPS said that most of the killings are the result of arguments and misunderstandings (675 killings). Incidents of road rage and provocation are also included in this count.
Residential, commercial and street robberies are the second most important factor that led to murders in the country (304 murders), followed by vigilantism and popular justice (203 murders). Gang-related killings also rank high (200).
Read: The Latest Crime Statistics From South Africa – Everything You Need To Know
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