While crime dropped significantly in the country during the lockdown last year, it has soared this year. The South African Police Department has published its statistics for the months of April to June. Compared with the parentheses in 2020, South Africa now has a slightly higher level of violent crime than it knew before the pandemic.
as reported from Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès
The number of crimes against people committed between April and June in South Africa has increased by more than 60% compared to the same quarter in 2020. An impressive figure, however, to include a pinch of salt, warns Police Minister Bheki Cele. Because the country experienced an “abnormal” situation at the same time last year: it was almost stagnant, with very strict containment.
Compared to 2019, these crimes will in fact increase by less than 1%. But with the number of murders still increasing, more than 6% compared to 2019, South Africa is still one of the most violent countries in the world.
Sexual abuse increased by almost 5% More than 5,700 intentional murders were registered between April and June, mostly due to “disputes, burglaries, lynchings and clashes between gangs”, according to the minister. In terms of the number of sexual assaults registered by the police, it also increased compared to 2019, by almost 5%.
Therefore, if the situation is less catastrophic than it seems, Bheki Cele finally acknowledged that “more work” will be needed to provide a little more security to the country.
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