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The murder rates in South Africa are flying in the face of the police, who are proving to be increasingly powerless amid the waves of crime.

Sadly, the country has experienced its highest murder rate in two decades, AKA the numbers have reached the highest mark in 20 years.

Per a report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the murder rate has steadily climbed over the past decade to an apex of 45 per 100,000 in the last year.

In 2011/2012, the number of murders recorded was 15,554, while in the last year, the number has soared to 27,494 – which is a staggering 77% rise.

It is alarming to think that between April 2022 and March 2023, more than 27,000 South Africans were slain.

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape accounted for 83% of murders recorded across the country, noted News24.

Specifically, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape had the highest murder rates in 2019/2020, with 59.5 and 58 per 100,000, respectively. However, the Eastern Cape’s murder rate increased significantly to 66 in 2021/2022 and further to 71 in 2022/2023.

Then, in the same year, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape jointly held the second-highest annual murder rate at 56 per 100,000.

Does that mean we have more than one murder capital?

The study underscores the failure of the police – under the leadership of Police Minister Bheki Cele – to fulfil its constitutional mandate to prevent, combat and investigate crime. Moreover, it pushes a key metric of Cele’s performance contract, of reducing contact crime by 30% over five years, further out of reach.

Nobody is stuttering but you, Cele:

Image: Flickr

It has become so bad that the police’s ability to solve and convict perpetrators has plummeted to the point where only one in 10 murder cases results in a successful prosecution.

The report emphasises how SA’s policing strategy is misguided and ineffective, pointing to how the country needs a new approach and thorough commitment to bring these numbers down.

Independent researcher David Bruce notes that the report is important because there is no appropriate response from the government and there is no clear acknowledgement that there is a problem with murder.

Likewise, Gareth Newham, the head of justice and violence prevention at the ISS, said a different strategic approach is now required instead of large-scale, high-visibility policing operations, which have clearly failed to reduce crime for more than a decade.

[source:news24]