Police Minister Bheki Cele released the third-quarter crime statistics on Friday (16/2). The statistics cover the period from 1 October to 31 December 2023.

Cele noted that the Christmas period was a particularly busy one for police. “During this period, a total of 7 710 people were murdered. It is disturbing and concerning that the number of people murdered during this period increased by 2.1%, leading to 155 more people murdered as compared to the same period,” Cele said.

The Free State was commended for lowering its murder rate by 2.2%, compared to same period in 2022. The total number of reported murders in the province during October to December fell to 269, from 275 in 2022. The statistics also note that most murders were committed as a result of an argument and happened in a public place, with knives being the most used weapon in the Free State. Of these murders, 28 were a result of domestic violence.

Sexual offences in the province were up 8.2% compared to the same period in 2022, increasing from 988 to 1,069. Incidences of rape were up 10.9%, from 758 to 841. The Free State, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and the North West are the only provinces where sexual offence rates have increased. Overall, there were 1.7% fewer sexual offences and rapes reported in the country. The Northern Cape showed the second biggest decline in rape cases after KwaZulu-Natal, with a drop of 5.5%, from 347 to 328.

“The fight against gender-based violence and femicide remains a priority for our men and women in blue and that is why we are encouraged to report that all our sexual offenses crimes registered an overall 1.7% decline during this period,” Cele said.

Carjackings were up a staggering 19.7% in the Free State, jumping from 71 to 85, while house robberies were down 0.5%, from 208 to 207. There was also an alarming increase of 26.5% in kidnappings in the province, with 210 reported incidences, compared to the previous period with 166 kidnappings.

OFM News