Police are investigating 250 separate dockets of multiple murders where 578 people were killed in groups across the country in just three months.
This was revealed on Wednesday by police minister Bheki Cele when he released quarterly crime statistics for the period July 1 to September 30.
Cele said the multiple murders include the killing of 17 people in a mass shooting in Mdlalose's Tavern in Soweto in July. Five people have since been arrested.
“The KwaZulu-Natal province recorded the highest number of multiple murders, followed by Gauteng and the Western Cape. Equally, the police in the three provinces continue to make arrests and bring the gunmen and their handlers to book. Police operational responses nationwide should continue to remove guns that are in the wrong hands,” he said.
In total, 7,004 people were killed between July and September in SA, an increase of 841 compared to the same period last year.
Cele said the source of the killings were arguments and misunderstanding. Incidents of road rage and provocations 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. Inanda, Umlazi police stations in KwaZulu-Natal and Nyanga station in the Western Cape registered the highest counts of murder during this period. A total of 274 counts of murder were reported in those three areas combined,” he said.
In the reporting period, 22 police were killed, two less compared to last year.
Cele said 2,808 people were killed with firearms. Of these murders, 961 were in KwaZulu-Natal and 768 in Gauteng. The Western Cape came third with 526 people killed by guns.
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
CRIME STATS | 7,004 people killed in SA in three months
Cele releases latest quarterly crime statistics
Police are investigating 250 separate dockets of multiple murders where 578 people were killed in groups across the country in just three months.
This was revealed on Wednesday by police minister Bheki Cele when he released quarterly crime statistics for the period July 1 to September 30.
Cele said the multiple murders include the killing of 17 people in a mass shooting in Mdlalose's Tavern in Soweto in July. Five people have since been arrested.
“The KwaZulu-Natal province recorded the highest number of multiple murders, followed by Gauteng and the Western Cape. Equally, the police in the three provinces continue to make arrests and bring the gunmen and their handlers to book. Police operational responses nationwide should continue to remove guns that are in the wrong hands,” he said.
In total, 7,004 people were killed between July and September in SA, an increase of 841 compared to the same period last year.
Cele said the source of the killings were arguments and misunderstanding. Incidents of road rage and provocations 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. Inanda, Umlazi police stations in KwaZulu-Natal and Nyanga station in the Western Cape registered the highest counts of murder during this period. A total of 274 counts of murder were reported in those three areas combined,” he said.
In the reporting period, 22 police were killed, two less compared to last year.
Cele said 2,808 people were killed with firearms. Of these murders, 961 were in KwaZulu-Natal and 768 in Gauteng. The Western Cape came third with 526 people killed by guns.
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za