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Stats show we're living in a war zone

Minister of Police Bheki Cele.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele.
Image: JACKIE CLAUSEN

Minister of police Bheki Cele released the country's crime statistics yesterday, and they were not shocking at all.

They were not shocking because since last year we have been hearing a lot about femicide, rapes and murders in the country. It is shocking that sexual assault cases have increased by 4.5% between April last year and May this year.

Murder rate has increased by 3.9% during the same period, and in the process 21,022 people were murdered.

We must also bear in mind that these are the numbers that are recorded. Remember, many sexual offence cases are not reported because of some reasons.

Crime in this country has reached a boiling point. In fact, all kinds of crimes have increased in this country since last year.

We are living in a war zone, we are living in hell. This demon needs our collective efforts to fight against. It needs all of us to commit ourselves to build a national democratic society where we will live in harmony.

But most importantly, we need police that are not corrupt, police who go to work because they love their jobs, not because they want a salary. Unfortunately, police in SA have been our number one enemy in the fight against crime.

Tom Mhlanga, Braamfontein

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