#CrimeStats: South Africans are living in a war zone - Cele
Police Minister Bheki Cele says the latest crime statistics are 'nothing to write home about'.
CAPE TOWN - Police Minister Bheki Cele says South Africans are living in a war zone where 57 citizens are murdered every day.
Cele and senior South African Police Service (SAPS) officials have released the latest crime statistics in Parliament, which show murder is up by 6.9% from last year.
Cele says the latest crime statistics are “nothing to write home about”.
The figures show that murder is up from 19,016 murders in 2016/17 to 20,336 this financial year. Attempted murder cases have also increased, as are the killing of women which has gone up 11%.
“I think our emphasis should be on what ought to be done rather than the crime statistics, which doesn’t give any joy.”
Police committee chairperson Francois Beukman adds: "The murder increase of 6.9% is really alarming and totally unacceptable. It’s clear, if we look at statistics, that violent crime is a danger to all South Africans.”
Members of Parliament have called for strategic interventions from the police calling for more specialised units are needed to target scourges, such as gangsterism and taxi-related violence.
(Edited by Shimoney Regter)
