Police Minister Bheki Cele has released the crime statistics for 2017/2018, and it’s evident that crime in South Africa is on the rise.

If the stories of attacks that we’ve been covering over the past few weeks are anything to go on, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Still, the increase in violent crimes is troubling, to say the least, with IOL reporting that the minister described the figures “as those of a war zone”, with roughly 57 people murdered every day in South Africa.

Here is a summary of the 10 most unsettling statistics from the report:

The total number of reported crimes has increased to more than three million.

The murder rate has increased by 6.9 percent .

18 233 reported attempted murders were reported over the past year.

40 035 cases of rape were opened over the reporting period. This translates to a 0.5 percent decrease in reported rape cases.

Assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm cases are down 1.9 percent

Cash-in-transit robberies have increased by 56.6 percent since the previous reporting period. A total of 238 cases were reported over the past year.

Burglaries at non-residential premises have decreased by 5.8 percent and at residential premises by 7.5 percent

Hijackings have decreased by 2.3 percent to 16 717 reported cases.

Business robberies have decreased by 3.1 percent from last year.

House robberies have decreased by 0.4 percent.

The report documents the highest murder number ever recorded, with the stats measuring up to similar numbers in war zones like Afghanistan or in the bombing of Hiroshima, reports Times LIVE.

The following graphics will give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation:

Firearms are the weapon of choice for most murderers, with knives coming in a close second.

The report also revealed the areas in South Africa that recorded the highest crime rates in the country. BusinessTech notes that Cape Town central came in “as the most crime-ridden region, with 15,422 reported crimes – down 3.3% from last year”.

This was followed by Joburg central with 12,221 reported crimes (down 6.3%), and Mitchell’s Plain with 11,382 reported crimes (down 11.7%).

Across the 30 worst precincts, there was a drop in crime level in all areas except three: Dobsonville (Gauteng), Plessislaer (KZN) and Delft. Of the three areas where crime levels increased, Delft saw the biggest jump in reported crimes – up 19%.

For the rest, four areas saw the biggest improvements in crime levels: Stellenbosch and Worcester (Western Cape), Mitchells Plain, and Pinetown (KZN), where crime levels dropped 12.7%, 11.8%, 11.7% and 11.6%, respectively.

In South Africa, crimes have to be reported to the police station closest to where the crime took place, which means that statistics from respective police stations are quite accurate in their representation of crime rates in specific areas.

That said, some police stations service multiple neighbourhoods and surrounding areas, so the crime could be dispersed over a larger area than just the location of the precinct.

Here are the 30 most crime-ridden areas according to the report:

It’s no wonder South Africans are so gatvol of crime, that they’re starting to fight back.

Stay safe people, because apparently it’s a war zone out there.

[sources:iol&timeslive&businesstech]