Mfuleni leads stats for murder and rape in Western Cape

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, together with Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagan Allen released the 3rd quarter crime statistics for 2023/2024 at Gugulethu Barracks last Thursday, February 22.

The statistics painted a damning picture of crime around Mfuleni as it takes the top spot for murder and rape in the province.

Despite recording nine murders fewer between October and December of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, there were still 80 people killed in Mfuleni, which is the highest number in the province and second highest in the country.

Gugulethu was placed number two in the province, with 73 people being killed, 23 more than the previous year.

When it comes to rape statistics, Mfuleni is leading in South Africa as well as in the province.

Between October and December of 2022, Mfuleni had 53 rape cases. This went up by 30 cases to 83 cases for the period in 2023.

Kraaifontein recorded 65 rape cases which placed it second in the province, and number 6 in the country, while Nyanga was in third place and Harare dropped from number 1 to number 5.

Philippi East is the number one spot in the province for car jacking with 89 cases reported followed by Harare which also saw 89 cases but which dropped from previous quarter where it had 105 cases. In third spot is Nyanga that also dropped from 110 to 87 in cases of car jacking.

Khayelitsha took the lead in robbery of residential premises with 37 cases followed by Mfuleni with 37 cases but with 12 counts lower than the previous quarter. Harare retained the same number of 35 it had in the previous quarter.

Mfuleni again came at the top in cases of kidnapping in the province with 31 cases, followed by Kraaifontein with 14 cases, then Harare in third with 13 cases.

The Cape Argus reported Lieutenant-General Patekile as saying that more than 100 police officers from Pretoria are headed to the Western Cape this week to help quell violent crime in the province.

He said the team’s focus areas would include Gugulethu and Manenberg.

“The contingent, comprising just over 100 members, will conduct operations, raids, search-and-seizure operations and other operational activities in a bid to quell violent crime in this province,” he said.