KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of murders of all the provinces, according to the latest crime statistics released by national Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi in parliament on Monday.
The province led the way with 5 405 murder cases compared to the 433 cases reported in the Northern Cape.
According to the statistics, KZN accounted for 25 percent of the murders in the country, followed by Gauteng with 23 percent.
Out of the 43 police areas in the country, the Durban North and South and Umfolozi areas constituted 14 percent of the murders in the year 2002/03.
KwaMashu, Inanda, Umlazi and Esikhawini police stations were among the 23 police stations nationally in which a fifth of murder cases were reported.
Provincial Police Director Bala Naidoo said the police were concerned about the province's high murder statistics but added that this year's statistics were substantially lower than last year.
"Our figures for murder and hijacking have gone down and we are in a better position than last year. The only problem is the rise in aggravated assault and robbery cases," he said.
Although the province had a shortage of police officers, they were still doing everything in their power to reduce the number of murders.
"We have put up additional personnel at crime-ridden areas like KwaMashu and Esikhawini and the interventions seem to be working," said Naidoo.
The Chief Executive Officer for the Durban Chamber of Commerce, Jeya Wilson, said the high murder statistics would have a negative impact on investment.
Wilson said crime affected tourism, which was one of the province's greatest investments.
The Chief Operating Officer for Tourism KZN, Mxolisi Nkosi, said it was everyone's responsibility to ensure that KwaZulu-Natal was a safer place for its people and its tourists.
"In the tourism industry, one crime incident is one incident too many."
Tourists would not want to visit an area which was not considered safe by locals.