According to research conducted by a Mexican security institute, Cape Town is South Africa's most violent city - and one of the deadliest cities in the world.
The report, issued by research group Seguridad, Justicia y Paz (Security, Justice and Peace), ranks Cape Town 34th in the world, with a murder rate of 46.15, making it the city with the highest murder rate in South Africa over the past year.
Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth) was ranked 41st in the world in 2011 and second in South Africa with a rate of 36.25.
Durban also features in the list of the world's 50 deadliest cities at number 49, with a murder rate of 30.54, while the City of Johannesburg - considered by most to be South Africa's crime capital - closes off the list in 50th position with a murder rate of 30.50.
According to the Epoch Times, the researchers only considered cities with populations of over 300,000 that have Internet-accessible statistics about homicides. The report excluded countries such as Libya and Syria, where the homicide rate would be increased due to the Arab Spring unrest.
While the news may surprise some in South Africa, the report was particularly damaging for Mexico, home to five of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world. Ciadad Juarez, the scene of numerous mass killings related to the cross-border trade in narcotics, was ranked 2nd in the world, behind San Pedro Sula in Honduras.
Overall, 40 of the 50 most violent cities are located in the Americas or the Caribbean, giving the City of Cape Town the ignominious honour of being the most dangerous city outside of these territories.
