Record 66 murders in district in 3 months
It seems as if South Africa is playing a deadly game of numbers, and the scorecard isn't looking too good. According to the third quarter crime statistics (October to December 2023), more than 7 700 people were murdered in just three months across the country. In the Garden Route District (GRD), 66 were murdered from October to December 2023. This shows an increase of 18 murders in the district compared with the same period in 2022.
The GRD covers the area from George, Knysna, Bitou, Hessequa, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn.
The statistics, that were released by
Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday 16 February, indicate that the murder count spiked nationwide during the third quarter, reaching 7 710 - a jump of 155 from the corresponding period in the previous year.
Garden Route District
Bar the 66 murders, the GRD also reported a total of 261 sexual offences of which 175 were rape cases. Although this is a slight decrease from the 265 sexual offences and 179 rape cases in the third quarter of 2022, the reality is still grim. These numbers might just be the tip of the iceberg. Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported, meaning the actual toll could be much higher.
Assault GBH jumped from 1 108 cases to 1 224, while common assault showed a marginal decrease of 11 cases from 1 464 to 1 453. Crimes detected as a result of police action showed an overall healthy increase of 36 cases with 17 more reports of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition than the previous year's 18, while 113 more cases of drug-related crimes were reported than the previous year's 1 758. Driving under the influence showed a decrease of 94 cases with 488 cases reported in the latest statistics.
Stats at home
Between October and December 2023, the four police stations in the George area, George, Thembalethu, Conville and Pacaltsdorp, collectively reported 25 murders (one less than in the previous period), 84 cases of sexual assault (109 the year before), 27 of attempted murders and a staggering 321 cases of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).
George
The George police station reported three murders, two less than the previous year, a massive decrease of 16 sexual offences from 30 to 14, and 45 cases of assault GBH (43 the previous year). A whopping 150 cases of common assault were reported, while robbery increased by 10 cases to 28 compared to last year's 18.
On a positive note, George reported ten less rape cases than the previous year's 22 and sexual assault cases also showed a decrease of five cases with none reported in the third quarter.
Crimes detected as a result of police action also showed a decrease in George with 161 drug-related crimes reported (90 in the previous year) and 101 cases of driving under the influence (108 last year). Crimes detected as a result of police action cover crimes discovered by active and pro-active policing, such as roadblocks and raids, and include illegal possession of firearms, drug-related crimes and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Thembalethu
Here murders showed a slight increase of two more cases (13) compared to the previous year's 11. Like George, Thembalethu also showed a decrease in overall sexual offences with 35 cases reported compared to 41, while rape numbers also dropped by 10 from 33 to 23. However, assault GBH and attempted murders showed an increases of 38 and nine respectively, with a total of 158 cases of assault GBH and 17 attempted murders reported.
On the bright side, crimes detected as a result of police action showed an overall increase of 62 cases - from 75 in the previous period to 137 last year. 56 more cases of drug-related crimes were reported and four more of driving under the influence.
Conville
Equalling the previous year, this station reported five murders. Sexual offences showed a slight increase from 19 to 21, and 15 of these were reported rape cases. Assault GBH showed a significant decrease of 18 cases from 106 to 88, and on the same trend, common assault decreased from 130 to 106 cases compared to the same period in 2022.
Drug-related crime detected as a result of police action showed an increase of 15 cases from the previous year's 190 to 205, while eight more cases of driving under the influence were reported.
Pacaltsdorp
This station reported four murders, one less than the previous period, 14 sexual offences compared to last year's 19 and 115 cases of common assault, which is 15 more than last year.
A total of 10 rapes were recorded, which is one less that last year. Assault GBH increased by 13 cases with 71 reported in 2023 and 58 the year before, and the station reported 115 incidents of common assault. 113 incidents of drug-related crime detected as a result of police action were reported
(28 in 2022) and 18 of driving under the influence compared to the last period's 17.