After years of climbing crime rates, the last two quarters’ obvious reduction in crime is encouraging and good news for all South Africans – especially with the festive season at hand.
The exact cause of the sudden drop, particularly in violent crime, remains unclear. It should, however, not lull law-enforcers into a false sense of security, but instead spur them on to work even harder.
One blemish on the overall positive statistics is the rise in murder, attempted murder and assault on women and children. None of the efforts to protect the country’s women and children seem to bear any fruit.
Femicide has shot up with 8,6%, compared to the corresponding quarter last year, and attempted femicide by 3,5%. Child murder rose by 7,5% and attempted child murder by a shocking 35,7%.
It is a tragic reflection of South African society and its moral values when 957 women are murdered in just three months (July to September) while there were attempts on the lives of yet another 1 567.
The statements made by the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, during today’s announcement of the crime statistics, particularly in regard to illegal miners, demonstrate that he will not tolerate illegal activities.
Such statements send a loud and clear message to all criminals to expect no mercy.
Minister Mchunu is clearly an improvement on his predecessor, Bheki Cele. The FF Plus maintained for very long that Cele should be replaced as he was obviously not competent.
As for the rest of the statistics, there has been a reduction in violent crime across the board. Murder is down by 5,8%, robbery by 6,2% and robbery with aggravating circumstances by 8,8%.
Rape is also down by 3,1%, while the feared trio crimes – carjackings (9,4%), robberies at residential premises (1,3%) and robberies elsewhere (21,1%) – decreased sharply.
There were 24 fewer incidents of transit heists than the corresponding period last year and truckjackings decreased by 15,3%. Last quarter it had already showed an overall reduction of 14%.
More good news for the general public is that crimes such as robberies at homes (9,2%), robberies elsewhere (15,6%), the theft of vehicles and motorbikes (10,3%), and theft from cars (8,9%) also decreased significantly. There has even been a 4,1% drop in livestock theft.
South Africans have been battered by crime to such an extent over the last few years that any good news is welcome. Apart from the fate of women and children, this is indeed good news. The fight against crime is still far from over, though, and requires all peace-loving South Africans to stand together and strengthen the police’s hand in fulfilling their duty.
