The annual crime statistics which were released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Tuesday paint a grim picture. When looking at the murder rate for children specifically the picture is even bleaker. Across South Africa, of the 985 children killed last year, 691 were boys and 294 were girls.
The Western Cape has the highest number of reported child murders for the 2017/2018 reporting period. A total of 279 child murders were reported in the province, contributing 17.4 percent of the province's total murder figures.
These are the child murder statistics for each province:
* Western Cape - 279 child murder (60 girls, 219 boys)
* KwaZulu-Natal - 221 child murders (91 girls, 130 boys)
* Eastern Cape - 180 child murders (43 girls, 143 boys)
* Gauteng - 108 child murders (31 girls, 77 boys)
* Free State - 52 child murders (21 girls, 31 boys)
* North West - 49 child murders (13 girls, 36 boys)
* Mpumalanga - 46 child murders (16 girls, 30 boys)
* Limpopo - 31 child murders (14 girls, 17 boys)
* Northern Cape - 19 child murders (5 girls, 14 boys)