What’s driving violent crime in South Africa: expert
South Africa’s murder rate is getting worse, with organised crime and gang violence being some of the main drivers of the increase.
Last month, the South African Police Service (SAPS) published its crime statistics for Q3 2022 – October and December 2022, with murder, assault and robberies statistics all growing.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said that 7,555 murders were recorded during the quarter – a 10% increase year on year (YoY).
Speaking to eNCA, Lizette Lancaster from the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) said that South Africa’s murder rate has increased from roughly 30 murders per 100,000 to 44.66 murders per 100,000 over the last decade – totalling 77 murders a day on average.
According to the ISS, South Africa’s murder rate in 2022 was the second highest in the world for countries with reliable crime data, with only Jamaica (52.98 murders per 100,000) being worse.
Lancaster said that group violence – gang violence, taxi violence, vigilantism and robberies – were the main cause for the increase in murders.
Organised crime syndicates also expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the illicit cigarette and alcohol trade growing during the nation’s lockdowns.
There has also been a proliferation of firearms in South African communities over the last decade.
Moreover, she noted that hitmen are “a dime a dozen” and are easily accessible by organised crime syndicates.
In addition, vigilantism is rising in South Africa, with many not trusting the police to tackle the nation’s worsening crime.
According to data from the Human Sciences Research Council, only 27% of South Africans trust the police.
Lancaster said vigilantes take it upon themselves to get justice, as the courts and police have failed them repeatedly.
Solutions
Despite the increase in violence, Lancaster proposed several measures to tackle the rise in crime.
She said that assassins, in some instances, will be arrested while kingpins walk free. Therefore, kingpins should also be linked to violent cases.
She added that the strengthening of forensics, improvements to detective services, and prosecution-led investigations – where the NPA works with investigators – need to increase to lead to more successful prosecutions.
Moreover, the firearm registry needs to address some common issues as numerous firearms get leaked into the system via private security, the SANDF’s arms caches and the police, which end up in the hands of for-hire assassins.
The ISS said that the government must see murder and violent crime as one of the nation’s most important things to tackle.
“It should be unequivocally clear in word, budgets and activities that decreasing this crime is among its highest priorities,” the ISS said
It added that South African parents, religious organisations, sports teams and those who dictate South Africa’s values should regularly state that violence and murder are unacceptable.
It concluded that a reduction in the murder rate will benefit public safety and create an economic environment that addresses unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
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