SOUTH AFRICA: CRIME STATS FOR KWAZULU-NATAL

The release of the quarterly crime stats on Friday highlighted just how undeterred the criminals of South Africa have been during lockdown. Restrictions haven’t prevented law-breakers from wreaking havoc, but one politician believes that the data is most alarming in KZN – branding the province as ‘one of the most dangerous places to live’ in Mzansi.

LATEST CRIME STATS FOR KWAZULU-NATAL

Four locations in KZN – Mariannhill, Empangeni, Osizweni, and Chatsworth – have been identified as murder hotspots. But Sharon Hoosen, the DA’s regional spokesperson on community safety, says there are many more factors to consider:

• KZN accounted for 249 murders out of 675 in the entire country – about 37% – during July, August, and September.
• Attempted murder in the province also rose by 9.6% (102 cases) compared to the same period last year.
• In terms of residential robberies, KZN recorded 90 out of the entire country’s 304 cases, accounting for 30% of national totals.
• The province was noted for having the highest number of SAPS officers killed for the period 2020/21.
• Another alarming statistic shows police recorded a total of 68 ‘mob justice’ crimes, with locals taking the law into their own hands.
• A total of 710 reported rapes took place within the home of the perpetrator or the victim or in residences known by either the victim or the perpetrator. A further 215 cases occurred in public, open spaces.

IS KZN ‘THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE’ IN SOUTH AFRICA?

The DA is also sceptical about the ‘under-reporting’ of certain crimes, with a specific focus on farm murders and rural attacks. They believe that the local ruling party in KZN has failed to ‘ensure the safety’ of its most vulnerable citizens:

“These grim statistics show that despite interventions by KZN’s ANC-led government, our province is one of the most dangerous places to live in the entire country. In fact, there has been no real progress when it comes to ensuring that women, in particular, are safe and when it comes to ensuring that our citizens are able to move about freely.

“Of particular concern to the DA are the figures in terms of farm-related and rural murder cases. With KZN reporting three cases, this figure is far from accurate. If the government is ever going to come to grips with the almost daily attacks on our rural communities, then specific data around this type of crime must be made available.”