57 people murdered every day
SA has recorded an increase in the number of reported serious crimes including murder‚ attempted murder and sexual offences.
Presenting the crime statistics for the 2017/2018 financial year in parliament on Tuesday‚ the head of police crime research and statistics‚ MajorGeneral Norman Sekhukhune‚ painted a sorry picture.
In 2017/2018‚ 20‚336 murders were recorded‚ 1‚320 more than in the previous financial year. This translates to an average of 57 people murdered every day‚ up from an average of 52 people in 2016/2017.
Western Cape police stations recorded the highest number of murder reports‚ followed by those in Gauteng.
Some of the main reasons behind the increase in murders included taxi violence‚ gang-related violence and mob justice‚ Sekhukhune said.
Just more than 50‚100 sexual offences were reported in the 2017/2018 financial year‚ up from about 49‚700 in the previous year.
Reports of cash-in-transit heists were also on an upward trend: 238 such cases were recorded, up from 152 in 2016/2017.
Meanwhile, the government spends R9.1m a year to protect one VIP compared with only R1‚500 per ordinary citizen.
This is according to DA MP Zakhele Mbhele‚ who said the government was more concerned with executive elite protection than providing resources to combat crime.
“A significant amount of what is spent on VIPs could be invested to create a professional and effective police service which can turn the tide against crime in our country,” he said.