Africa-Press – South-Africa. Arguments, road rage, misunderstandings and provocations are the leading cause of murder, according to Major-General Thulare Sekhukhune, who presented the crime stats for 1 April to 30 June this year.
In that period, 6 228 people were killed, which is a slight decline from the same period last year.
However, the current stats showed that police were far from winning the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) because more women were killed than in the same period last year.
Sekhukhune said 40 more women were killed in the same period, 235 more attempted murders were reported, and 1 138 more cases of assault, in which women were victims, were recorded.
According to the statistics, most murders occur in public places, like streets, parks and parking areas.
Also, some of the murders were committed in the homes of the perpetrators or victims.
KwaZulu-Natal-based police stations, Inanda and Umlazi, have the highest number of murder cases reported.
Although the crime stats painted a grim picture, Police Minister Bheki Cele said he believed that crime-fighting initiatives, which had been introduced by police management, had yielded positive results.
“The aggressive policing approach has been bolstered through Operation Shanela. While it is early days, the effectiveness of the high-density operation shows in the decline of these crime figures.
“While the declines cannot all be attributable to Operation Shanela, its value and impact on the overall policing strategy is noticeable. Communities have so far welcomed the aggressive approach to crime, and it is on this score that the policing strategies, which are leading us in the right direction, will be intensified for more favourable results,” Cele said.
Cele urged provincial commissioners to continue to lead from the front, to work with officers on the ground, and to sweep clean all crime-ridden areas in their provinces.
Rape
There was a decrease in rape cases reported between April and June. There were 9 252 rape cases reported.
Inanda police station accounted for most of the rape cases, followed by Mthatha police station in the Eastern Cape, and Mankweng police station in Limpopo.
Most of the reported rape cases occurred at the homes of the perpetrators or victims.
Rape at education premises
The statistics show 37 pupils were raped at schools between 1 April and 30 June.
Farm murders
There were 14 farm murders reported between April and June. The number is inclusive of farmers, farm workers and farm dwellers.
Carjacking
The top contributing police station was Harare in the Western Cape, while Olievenhoutbosch in Gauteng came second.
Sedans, hatchbacks and coupes were the most hijacked cars, while bakkies were the second-most hijacked vehicles in the country.
Robberies at residential premises
Plessislaer in KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of cases, followed by Inanda in KZN, and Tembisa in Gauteng.
Robbery at non-residential premises
You are most likely to be robbed on the streets of Johannesburg Central. The Johannesburg Central police station came tops with the most number of cases, followed by Durban Central and Madeira in Eastern Cape.
Kidnappings
You are most likely to be kidnapped in Gauteng than anywhere else. The province doubled the number of kidnappings reported during the same period last year.
In three months, 90 people were kidnapped in Gauteng, while Northern Cape only recorded one kidnapping case, Mpumalanga recorded three kidnaping cases, and Limpopo had only five kidnappings.
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