Crime stats reveal alarming number of mass murders in KwaZulu-Natal

Police Minister Bheki Cele walks in front of uniformed police officers.

File Picture: Minister of Police Bheki Cele. Picture: Oupa Mokoena African News Agency (ANA).

Published Nov 24, 2022

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Durban - Mass murders in KwaZulu-Natal have once again been thrust into the spotlight as the quarterly crime stats released by Police Minister Bheki Cele yesterday showed that the province recorded 80 murder dockets with 185 deaths.

The statistics for July to September 2022 showed KZN had the highest number of people killed in multiple murder incidents with 185, followed by Gauteng with 145 and the Western Cape with 113.

In at least two of the incidents in the province during the period, seven people were killed. Earlier this month, 11 people were killed in two separate incidents. Five men were killed by gunmen at Ndwedwe Mission and six people were shot dead at an informal settlement in Clermont.

Inanda and uMlazi police stations in Durban also reported the most murders in the country for the second financial quarter, with 99 and 95 murders reported respectively, a combined increase of 18 compared to the same period in 2021.

Firearms were used in most of the murders (961), followed by knives (204) and sharp instruments (119).

KZN violence monitor Mary de Haas said yesterday that the high number of mass murders indicated easy access to guns, especially automatic or semi-automatic weapons, in the province.

Looking at the national picture, Cele said 7 004 people were killed in South Africa in the second quarter of 2022/2023 financial year.

“This is an increase of 841 more people murdered compared to the same period in 2021, when the country was placed under Covid-19 lockdown levels 4, 3 and 2. The high murder figure can also be attributed to multiple murders, where two or more people were killed in one incident.

“The SAPS is investigating 250 dockets of multiple murders, with 578 victims. This included the mass shooting at the Mdlalose tavern in Soweto, where 17 people were killed in July in a single shooting incident. KwaZulu-Natal province recorded the highest number of multiple murders, followed by Gauteng and the Western Cape.”

Cele added that of the 7 004 people who were murdered, arguments, misunderstandings and incidents of road rage and provocation accounted for 956 murders in the country.

“Vigilantism incidents claimed the lives of 528 people, while 362 people were killed during the commission of a robbery.”

Cele added that a major cause of concern was also the number of police officers killed while fighting crime.

“Fighting crime has come at a cost for members of the SAPS across the country. A total 22 police officers were killed during July to September 2022, this is two members less compared to the same reporting period last year.

“It is on this note that this ministry will never stop calling on SAPS members to defend themselves at all times from ruthless criminals, whenever they are under attack. It is quite simple – police must meet fire with fire.”

Regarding gender-based violence, Inanda police station recorded the highest number of reported rape cases, 78, an increase of 11 compared to the same period in 2021.

Nationally, Cele said there were 10 000 rape cases opened with the SAPS during the period.

“It was determined that 5 083 rape incidents occurred at the residence of the victims or perpetrators. A total of 1 651 of the rape incidents occurred at public places such as streets, parks and beaches. Sixty-nine people were raped at abandoned buildings.”

De Haas said much of the gun violence was linked to gangs, which had not been properly addressed.

“Government was warned to do something about drugs and organised crime in the early 2000s. I know personally they were warned and failed to do anything, so we are in the grip of very serious organised crime which feeds other forms of crime.”

Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, said the police’s ability to solve murders in the past 10 years has dropped more than 50%.

“This has opened up space for more people who think murder is a way to resolve conflict and there is less of a chance to be held accountable. Multiple murders occur when groups get involved in conflict and when the conflict is resolved through violence more than one person will be likely killed.

“There is also conflict between taxi associations that results in mass murders where rival associations would attack each other in public places. Unfortunately, government has not yet put a plan in place to address the violence between taxi associations.”

THE MERCURY

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