File
Police Minister, Bheki Cele, said 5 107 people were murdered in South Africa between July and September 2020.
Releasing quarterly crime statistics on Friday, he said this meant that 339 fewer people killed in the country when compared to the same period last year.
Minister Cele said from a sample of 4 290 murder dockets, “analysis revealed that 1 992 of the murders occurred in public spaces such as beaches, parks, streets or open fields.”
“Over 900 people were killed in their homes or the homes of those who ended their lives. Alarmingly, arguments and misunderstandings remain the main drivers of murder,” Cele said.
As for motive, the Minister said that robbery, vigilantism and gang conflicts, featured high on the list of some of the causes.
Meanwhile, the Police Minister said there was also a drop in the number of sexual offences in the last quarter, with a 16.8% drop in the number of rapes and sexual assaults recorded.
“July, August and September 2020 were dangerous months for thousands of women in this country. 8 922 cases of rape were reported at this time,” he said in a statement.
Most of these cases were in Kwazulu Natal.
Cele said all contact crime decreased by 11.6% during the period under review, however, home invasions increased by 8.5% during the lockdown.
The Police Minister said Cash-in-transit robberies saw an increase, as criminals scrambled to “catch up”.
“It is clear armed gangs targeting cash vans, are becoming more desperate and ruthless as the year comes to a close. These criminals are stopping at nothing to carry out their criminal acts, often doing so in public spaces near innocent bystanders.”
Cele however assured South Africans that “SAPS is not taking these brazen criminal acts lightly,” adding that some of these criminal syndicates had been taken down.
He said stock theft remains a serious problem that needs serious attention not just from us as the police but other departments that can assist in curbing this crime.
"Yesterday I met with farmers in the Free State who reached out to the SAPS and myself calling for intervention in the theft of their stock. This crime is not unique to that part of the country," he said.
Cele said in the three months of reporting, there were 7 339 cases of stock theft countrywide.
"26 322 sheep were stolen in the last three months. Over 14 thousand cattle were also stolen and found themselves in abattoirs and on to the plates of unsuspecting South Africans."
