Minister of police Bheki Cele and South African Police Services (Saps) officials have revealed the crime statistics for the murder rate in the country.
Cele and the officials were briefing Parliament Portfolio Committee on Police on crimes reported to Saps from the second quarter of the 2022/2023 financial year, from 1 July to 30 September 2022.
Murder
The murder rate is up significantly when compared to the 6 163 murders committed in the same period last year.
According to the statistics, there were 7 004 murders during the period under review, an increase of 841 (13.6%) compared to the previous quarter.
Leading causes
Arguments, misunderstandinga, road rage and provocation were the leading causes for murder accounting for 956 killings, followed by vigilantism/mob justice with 528 murders, robbery at 362, and retaliation at 348.
Gang violence
Gang-related violence also featured high number, with 202 murders committed during the period under review,175 of them in the Western Cape
Mass murders
The crime stats also revealed that 3 039 murders were perpetrated in public, while the homes of the victim or suspect (1 645) were the second most common place of occurrence.
The worst mass shooting saw 17 people killed at the Mdlalose tavern in Nomzamo Park in Gauteng, followed by 21 others at three different places including a spaza shop, at a home and at a farm.
Police murders
The stats also revealed that there were 69 murders during hijackings and attempted hijackings, while 24 law enforcement, security and police officers were killed in the line of duty.
Women and children
The murder of women and children also worsened in the second quarter, with 989 women murdered, while 315 boys and girls aged 0 to 17 years old were also killed during the period.
This represents an increase of 92 and 28, respectively.
Provinces with most murders
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most number of murders, with 185 people killed in the province.
This was followed by Gauteng with 145, the Western Cape with 113, and the Eastern Cape with 74 murders.
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