Cele has blood on his hands: Action Society

Civil Rights Organisation, Action Society SA, says Police Minister Bheki Cele has blood on his hands as more than 125 000 people have died under his watch.

Action Society’s Ian Cameron says the latest statistics have shown that at least three people are killed every hour and 70 per day.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) revealed the figures the during a briefing on the state of crime in South Africa during first quarter of 2023.

Police say they recorded a decrease in murder and sexual offense cases compared to 2022.

The murder rate dipped by 3% in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period last year, while rape and sexual assaults recorded 2.8% and 3.8% decrease respectively.

The dip is slightly welcome as the last time low numbers were recorded was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

And the people killed during this period, died either during an argument, an act of vigilantism, or while being robbed.

Cameron says it is concerning why the Police Minister has not practiced the integrated approach to tackle crime in the country.

 

Cameron says the country has the sufficient skills and leadership to deal with crime, however the current leadership is incompetent.

Cameron says it is concerning that children are paying with their lives.

According to the latest stats, 293 children were murdered in the first quarter of this year, which is equal to three children per day.

He says it is seriously concerning how attempted murders currently stand at almost three per hour and rapes at almost five per hour.

The human rights activist says violence against women paints just as dark a picture with 10 murders per day.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) says the latest stats point to the capacity of the SAPS and puts to question the extent within which resources are channeled to stations in ensuring they are able to service communities.

POPCRU spokesperson, Richard Mamabolo, has also raised concern that the most reported cases of murder in South Africa come from KwaZulu-Natal’s Inanda and Umlazi police stations.

It is estimated that only every 25th woman will open a case at the police. Yet 9252 rape cases and 11616 sexual offences were reported to the police between April and June 2023.

It feels like the women and children in this country are living in a war zone. #crimestats pic.twitter.com/aCQalRnJlp

— Women For Change (@womenforchange5) August 18, 2023

The crimes against women and children increased once again, with the numbers skyrocketing.

895 women were murdered, and 1417 were victims of attempted murders between April and June 2023. When will enough be enough? #womenforchange #aminext #crimestats pic.twitter.com/xMmAzlzrFA

— Women For Change (@womenforchange5) August 18, 2023