South Africa continues to be a living hell for women and children as noticed in the latest crime statistics.
More than 850 women and 243 children were killed between April and June 2022, said Police Minister Bheki Cele during the announcement of quarterly crime statistics on Friday.
“Over 11 000 assaults [with intent] to cause grievous bodily harm, with female victims, were opened with the police, [of which] 1 670 of those cases involved children,” said Cele.
The minister explained further that there has been a drop in sexual violation cases compared with the previous year, with 9 516 rape cases having been opened during this reporting period.
“Two hundred and eighty-six [286] perpetrators were convicted and only 40 of those were sentenced to life [in prison].”
He said 3 708 rapes took place in the homes of the victims while 1 546 rape offences were committed in public places, adding that public transport has been identified as the third most dangerous place for rape incidents.
Cele added that the police continue to prioritise rape and gender-based violence, which has been declared a pandemic. However, lower rape cases were recorded in all the provinces except in the North West and Northern Cape.
“We urge communities, civil society, religious organisations and various community organisations to look at addressing the role that liquor plays as a contributing factor in crime,” Cele said.
The minister reported that murder cases have shown an increase of 664 compared to 2021 when the country was locked down to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 infections, taking the figure to 6 424.
Umlazi and Plessislaer in KwaZulu-Natal and Umthatha police station in the Eastern Cape have recorded the highest murder cases. The report also shows that about 3 000 people have died as a result of gunshot wounds.
Without providing the exact figures, the minister said farm murders are down compared with 2021 figures.
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