Limpopo, Free State and Western Cape record more cases of murder, assault, robbery and rape
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Violent crime in Limpopo spiked by over 17%, according to official crime statistics released by government.
It was one of three provinces that recorded an increase in contact crimes, which include murder, assault, robbery and rape.
The Free State and Western Cape respectively recorded increases in violent crime of 3.2% and 2.5%.
The other six provinces contributed to the overall decline in contact crimes by 3.5%.
- 'Improvement in GP, the so-called Gangsters' Paradise'
Gauteng saw an 11% drop in violent crime — the most notable in the country.
Head of the SA Police Service research task team, Mzwandile Petros, also Gauteng’s provincial police commissioner, said the figures should be seen in context.
Petros said policing successes in some provinces forced criminals to relocate.
“Gauteng doesn’t only export gold, it exports criminals as well,” he quipped.
Petros said historically, provinces like Limpopo did not experience high levels of the so-called trio crimes — car hijacking, house robberies and business robberies.
He said many of Gauteng’s most wanted criminals were arrested in other provinces.
Commenting on the nationwide increase in business robberies, he said moving police resources to city centres pushed criminals into the townships.
This resulted in smaller, less secure, businesses in these areas being targeted.
Petros said the increase in violent crime in the Western Cape was directly linked to gangsterism.
“Crime analysis revealed [that] 13.1% of murders and 22.2 percent of attempted murders in the Western Cape during 2011/12 were gang-related,” he said.
- Eastern Cape murder shocker
The DA says that the Eastern Cape has the highest murder ratio in the country at 48 murders per 100,000 of the population.
Gauteng by comparison has a murder ratio of 26.6 per 100,000.
"Sadly the number of reported murders in the Eastern Cape has increased by 97 – or 2.8% -- over the past year," the party said in a statement.
"Our province remains far too violent."
The province also recorded a high increase in robberies at non-residential premises, which has increased by 31%.
"This means businesses are under siege from the criminal element and this ultimately impacts on their viability and on jobs," the DA said.
Robbery at residential premises has also increased by 12%.
Car hijackings are up by 22%.
"These three crimes in particular strike fear into the hearts of people and need to be brought down as a matter of urgency."
A further concern is robbery with aggravated circumstance which is up by 7% and the dramatic spike in kidnapping by 27%, the party said.
"There has been an increase in 13 crime categories in the Eastern Cape and a decrease in 16 categories. The general trend of a number of crime categories coming down is welcomed but crime levels are far too high."