The murder rate in this province stood at 326, over the 2019/20 financial year, translating to a 1,2% hike in the province’s murder rate. This closely mirrors the increase in that crime category at national level. 

On Tuesday, the provincial government, led by Premier Zamani Saul; the MEC of Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem; and the Provincial Police Commissioner, Risimati Shivuri, presented the province’s crime statistics via a virtual briefing, which was made available for public viewing on Facebook. Shivuri prefaced the presentation by noting that crime had stabilised in the Northern Cape in the last few years. 

Colonel Karen Peter backed up Shivuri’s statement, revealing that overall contact crimes declined, by 1,7% in 2019/20, despite the higher murder and sexual offences rate - a sign of movement in the right direction.

According to Peter, attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased by 12%; 2,5%; and 7,7% respectively.  

The statistics cover reported crimes between 1 April 2019 and March 2020, and as a result don’t include crimes that occurred during the lockdown period nor do the recent murder of a family of three in the Northern Cape town of Hartswater form a part of the figures.

OFM News earlier reported on the brutal murders of 83-year-old Dan Brand, his 73-year-old wife Breggie and their 54-year-old daughter Elzabie who were attacked on their smallholding in Magong, outside Hartswater in late July - leading to an uproar. Five people have since been arrested and made court appearances for the murder.

Overall, 49 farm murders were recorded during the 2019/20 financial year, nationally, an increase of two cases as compared to the previous financial year. The Free State and Eastern Cape reportedly accounts for 24 of these cases. The vast majority of murders and attempted murders in the province were committed with knives.

When the crime statistics for the 2018/19 financial year were released all most a year ago, Members of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police cast doubt on the farm murder figures. Head of police crime research and statistics, Norman Sekhukhune, announced in his presentation there were 47 farm murders in 41 incidents, something which Freedom Font Plus Member of Parliament Pieter Groenewald wanted more clarity on, from Police Minister Bheki Cele. Cele did not elaborate much on the issue of the farm murder figures in his response, he did however express concern regarding the overall 3,4% murder rate spike, and added that there was a time when crime in the country, wasn’t this bad.

OFM News