Minister of Police Bheki Cele said the small drop in the murder rate was not a cause for celebration.
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the country recorded a decrease in the murder rate.
However, the 3.1% drop recorded between April and June 2023 still meant that 6,288 people died violently.
Cele said an analysis of the latest crime statistics confirmed that a decision to aggressively and strategically confront crime was the right one.
The murder rate, however, increased in Northern Cape and Mpumalanga, but Limpopo and North West registered double-digit percentage declines over the three-month period.
“A 3.1 percent decline in the murder rate is no cause for celebration – 6,228 is not just a number, it is people whose lives were cut short at the hands of another,” Cele lamented.
Firearms, knives, and sharp instruments remained the weapon of choice to commit murder.
Most people who were murdered during this period were killed either during an argument, an act of vigilantism, or while being robbed.
-EWN
In other news – VIDEO: Murdah Bongz nails impressive dance moves on stage
Mzansi musician and former Black Motion member, Murdah Bongz aka Mörda has nailed impressive dance moves in an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, 15 August while on stage which had fans turning their heads as they admired his carefree moves.
He was praised for having a carefree personality after he was seen dancing in a clip posted on Instagram recently. Read More
