Kraaifontein records second-highest murder rate in SA as cases increase
Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia said there was an “ongoing and significant reduction in serious violent crime” in the country while addressing the media at the release of the quarterly crime statistics on Friday, November 28.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
Kraaifontein has recorded the second-highest number of murder cases in both the Western Cape and the country, after registering an increase in the latest national crime statistics.
According to data released by the national police on Friday, November 28, murders in Kraaifontein rose by 23% in the period July to September this year, up from 52 cases last year to 64 this year. This marked an increase of 12 murders.
Mfuleni recorded the highest number of murders in the country during the same period, with cases increasing by 45%, from 58 last year to 84 this year.
Despite these spikes, Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia said there was an "ongoing and significant reduction in serious violent crime" in the country.
"Murder has started to decrease significantly. We have also seen double-digit reductions in most forms of aggravated robbery," he said.
Nationally, the crime statistics indicated that murders decreased by 751 cases from July to September, as compared to the same reporting period last year.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said there was a need to improve the conviction rate for gang, gun, and drug crimes.
“These latest crime stats make it clear that violent crime continues to plague some of our most vulnerable communities, with gang activity being a common denominator for Cape Town precincts in the top 30 stations nationally for murder.
“We do take heart in the consecutive declines in murder in Nyanga, Philippi East and Khayelitsha – these are all areas where our Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) officers are deployed to support SAPS,” he said.
Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, urged police and law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to remove illegal firearms from communities.
“It is encouraging to see that our LEAP deployment areas continue to show positive results in reducing the murder rate. Yet, we cannot ignore the reality that violent crime and murder remain unacceptably high. Even more troubling is the devastating role that illegal firearms play in sustaining this ongoing onslaught,” she said.