Gauteng records highest increase in murders in half a decade

Mawela delivered the province’s 3rd Quarterly Crime Statistics for the 2021/22 financial year to the Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety on Friday.

During the period under review between October and December, 243 more people were killed in Gauteng. 

This reflects an increase of 18.3% - the highest increase in five years. 

In the 2017/18 reporting period, 1153 murders were reported, in 2018/19 1267 murders were reported, in the 2019/20 period 1234 cases were reported, while 1327 cases were reported during the 2022/21 period. 

A whopping 1570 cases were reported in the latest 3 month reporting period.  

The latest figures place the province second on the list of provinces with the  highest number of cases of murder during the period under review, mainly due to the size of the population. 

“Out of 1 570 of the people who were killed, 189 were women while 37 of them were children. Furthermore, a total of 41 cases of murders registered during the same period were related to domestic violence where majority of victims were females (23) and males (18),” Mawela told the committee in Sandton. 

“From the sample of 1280 cases, the top three contributors established of the general increase of murder were arguments and misunderstandings (not related to domestic) by 112 cases, followed by robberies (house, business and street) by 50 cases and vigilantism by 29 cases.”

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Three farm murders were also reported during this period where two of the victims were residents on the farm and one farm worker. 

A total of five police officers were murdered during this time.

“In relation to place of occurrence where these incidents happened, it was determined that the top three common places where these murders are likely to take place are in public places like on the street, open field, parking areas and abandoned buildings (564), 309 murders occurred at the residence of the victim or the perpetrator and 70 at liquor outlets,” Mawela detailed. 

“Among many other factors that contributed to murder increases in Gauteng, is this phenomenon of multiple murders. This is where there is more than one victim murdered in one incident. Gauteng had 18 dockets of murder registered with 50 victims and that has contributed to more accumulated counts of murder during this quarter. 

“Examples of the incidents of multiple murders that occurred during the quarter under review happened in Kagiso and Laudium.” 

In Kagiso, seven people were killed and five injured by a group of armed men at a wedding. 

In Laudium, investigations revealed that a vehicle stopped near an illegal shebeen when the occupants opened fire at random, shooting at the patrons. 

 Five people were killed and 12 injured. 

The motives for these shootings are still under investigation.