Despite decreases, crime levels still alarmingly high – Mchunu

SOUTH AFRICA is grappling with unacceptably high levels of violent crime.

- SIPHESIHLE BUTHELEZI

This was said by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu as he released South Africa’s fourth-quarter crime statistics which, while showing a national decline in murders, reflect the ongoing threat of violent crime, particularly in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal.

Hours after the statistics were released, four people were shot dead in the Mzomusha area of Dundee on Friday evening.

According to the stats, 5727 people were murdered, 10688 people were raped and 4571 kidnappings occurred between January and March this year.

A total of 11111 common robberies and 35374 commercial crimes were reported in the same period.

"Although 13 of the 30 police stations with the highest number of murders recorded decreases, the overall figure remains worrying," Mchunu said. KZN, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and Western Cape remain hotspots for killings.

Inanda and Umlazi in KZN continue to rank among the country’s stations for the high number of murder cases, despite showing small declines. The Northern Cape was the only province where murder rates increased.