(Archive photo: Kent Williamson)
In an alarming answer to a parliamentary question by the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), Bheki Cele, minister of police, indicated that a total of 5,709 people were victims of mass murders in South Africa in less than four years.
Although 1,511 people were arrested in connection with these 2,446 incidents and appeared in court, it appears that only 6.8% were found guilty.
“This is an indication of poor investigative work and will have to be explained,” said Dr. Pieter Groenewald, leader of the FF Plus, said.
Mass murder refers to cases where two or more people are killed during a single incident. In the most recent case, eight people were killed when a shooter opened fire 11 people set fire to a house in Gqeberha.
In addition, mass killings increased from 438 incidents and 1,009 deaths in the 2019-20 fiscal year to 769 incidents and 1,791 deaths in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Most of these were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
According to the statistics provided by Cele, 372 people were arrested in connection with nationwide mass murder cases in the 2019-20 financial year, of which 50 were found guilty. During the 2021-22 financial year, 408 people were arrested, of which only 13 were convicted.
From April 2022 to December 2022, 1,664 people were killed in 701 incidents. A total of 388 people were arrested in connection with these murders and all appeared in court. Only three were found guilty.
“Given the murder rate which is five times more than the world average (7/100 000 and in South Africa 36/100 000), the extent of mass murder and other crime in South Africa, the problems in the police and the inability to catch criminals to prosecute successfully, it is clear that the state cannot protect the citizens of the country from criminals,” said Groenewald.
“The latest crime statistics prove that crime is getting out of control and Minister Cele must take responsibility for it.”
