Norman Sekhukhune, South African Head of the Police Crime Research, on Friday in Johannesburg told the parliament that the number of murders committed in South Africa between April 2015 and March 2016 rose to 18,673.
He described this as an increase of nearly 5 per cent compared to the same period last year, as the figure suggested that an average of 51 people were murdered daily in the country during the period.
Sekhukhune said that the murder rate in South Africa, which has one of Africa’s highest crime rates, has increased by 20 per cent over the past four years.
“It still seems to be a problematic crime.
He analysed that the incidents of robbery with aggravating circumstances and house robbery rose by 2.7 per cent, while acts of business robbery increased by 2.8 per cent.
“The number of car hijackings in South Africa soared by a whopping 14.3 per cent to 14,602 incidents, bringing them to an average of 40 daily.
“Car hijackings have increased by 55 per cent over the past four years,’’ he said.
Sekhukhune disclosed that sexual crimes in the country were down 3.2 per cent, but the decrease could be due to fewer people reporting them. (dpa/NAN)