Police Minister Bheki Cele released South Africa’s quarterly crime statistics for the period of October to December 2020 on Friday, February 19 during a livestream.
Reported murders increased by 6.6% compared to the previous reporting period, and sexual offences increased by 5%. Robberies with aggravated circumstances increased by 7%.
This means 1 500 people were murdered in the country in the three months from October to December last year, while 12 218 people were raped in the same period. Over 4900 of the rape incidents took place at the home of the victim or the home of the rapist
“The National Crime Statistics from October to December 2020 do not paint a good picture, and so force us as the SAPS to dig deep and put the shoulder to the wheel,” he said.
Cele added that overall the crime statistics in Mpumalanga, FreeState, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape shows an upward trend, but that the situation in the Eastern Cape has shown a significant improvement.
Watch the livestream:
Picture: Screenshot from livestream
