S/Africa’s murder rate increases by 4.6 percent

Police in South Africa have been accused of “failing in the fight against crime”, as newly-released figures show a significant rise in murder rates.

“Murder is an important crime to monitor because it is regarded as a benchmark indicator of a country’s safety and security”, Nhleko said.

The violence was blamed on Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who was accused of instigating the attacks after he made comments that “foreigners must pack their bags and go home”.

He said the overall number of murders had increased for the third year in a row.

Moreover, again this year there is no reporting of rural murders that have been completely neglected by the national government. While property related crimes had decreased by 0.8% in the year, burglary out of non-residential premises, theft out of vehicles and stock theft had all increased.

“The police can not be held responsible for dealing with all crime, especially not most murders, rape, child abuse and assault”, said Gareth Newham, head of the ISS governance, crime and justice division, “These crimes often start intergenerational cycles of violence and addressing them requires a different approach”.

While crime levels were generally decreasing, there were categories that saw an increase.

The figures, from the South African Police Service, also point to a 5.4% decrease in the total number of sexual offences between April 2014 and March 2015.

“It is a problem that has got to be tackled at levels of family units, which are basic units of the composition of our societies”.

MPs questioned the rate of murders in the country, the management of dockets, the increase of drug trafficking in certain areas and congratulated the police on the increase in conviction rates. A few of the incidences could be links to a recent upsurge in xenophobia in South Africa. The Police Minister and the national government have a responsibility towards the people of the Western Cape.

“This number of deaths is what one would expect from a country at war”, Diane Kohler Barnard, a Democratic Alliance member, said in a statement. It said it was not confident that Nhleko would be able to reverse crime.

Crime affects each and every one of us.

“The issue of crime statistics is not simply about the numbers; they are reflection of the state of the society … it’s who we are as a society”, he said, adding that the country continues to have a violent and aggressive feature in its social outlook. As active citizens we can all create positive change.

“Each of these commissioners has forced out good, honest cops that might have challenged them and brought in their own people”, Mr Newham said.