Minister of Police Bheki Cele revealed on Friday that 6 945 people were murdered in South Africa between July 1 and September 30, and expressed outrage that out of that figure, 881 people were women and 293 were children.

He said the violence against women and children was shameful, as he announced the 0.8% drop in the murder rate, from the quarterly crime statistics.

He believes that incorporating communities and non-government organisations is vital in reducing crime in the country, as the police cannot win alone.

The crime statistics also pointed out that 35 police officers were killed on and off duty in the three-month period, as were 19 law enforcement officers attached to national, provincial and local government and private security.

Cele said it remained encouraging that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Limpopo provinces reported double-digit percentage decreases in their murder rates "despite KZN experiencing numerous mass shootings, claiming three or more lives at a time".

The Minister said while the Inanda and Umlazi police stations, which had previously reported the highest murders in the country, were still leading in this crime, they had reported decreases in murders.

The Eastern and Northern Cape provinces also saw slight drops in incidents of murder during the reporting period, despite the Eastern Cape recording multiple shooting incidents, fuelled by drug- and vigilante-related motives.

Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Western Cape, Free State and the North West recorded increases in murders.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

As the country observes 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV), Cele said the ministry was motivated by the South African Police Service’s (Saps’) continued successes in bringing to book GBV and femicide perpetrators.

This includes the recent identification and takedown of 27 sexual predators in the country.

"In October we saw the sentencing of Mario Giusti, sentenced to 6 400 years in jail, found guilty of more than 1 000 charges of child pornography. It is clear, attacks and violence meted out on women, children, the elderly and the most vulnerable in this country, remains shameful," said Cele.

The Minister reiterated that the scourge of violence against women and children in South Africa must be confronted head-on and equally by law enforcement and the whole of government and society.

He reported that the Saps continues to upscale its responses to these forms of crimes through increased operations to trace GBV perpetrators, and arrest serial offenders as well as serial rapists.

Cele also said as part of some of the crime prevention programmes carried out by the police service, dialogues in various communities, targeting men, who are the main GBV perpetrators by far, are taking place.

"We support a similar continental programme targeting men around the issue of GBV. The African Men Conference hosted by the African Union will take place in South Africa on the 27th to the 28th of November 2023,” he said.

RAPE

The Minister said 10 516 rape incidents were reported to the Saps between July to September this year.

Of that, 4 726 rape incidents took place either at the home of the rape victim or at the home of the perpetrator, who was usually a family member, a friend or a neighbour.

Cele said the police stations delivered victim-centered services to victims of sexual violence and he added that the continued availability of evidence collection kits, or so called ‘Rape Kits', has been well-managed, including the improvement of support services at stations for survivors of sexual violence.

On the historic DNA backlog, which was standing at over 240 000 two years ago, Cele said it had now been cleared.

"Saps forensic laboratories across the country continue to work optimally and relevant contracts crucial for the functioning of labs are in place. The consumables essential for the processing of samples continue to be procured. These policy interventions are coupled with functioning of GBV desks at police stations countrywide. These desks are staffed with officers trained through GBVF-related courses as well as Victim Empowerment, Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences-related programmes," he explained.

DEVOLUTION OF POWERS TO PROVINCES

Answering Polity on the issue of the Western Cape government asking his ministry for policing powers, Cele said the Western Cape is “crying at the wrong funeral” as it also has nothing to do with signing the capabilities of policing.

The Democratic Alliance issued a statement calling for Cele's immediate resignation and an immediate commitment by the national government for the devolution of policing powers to the Western Cape.

He said the devolution of powers falls to the Justice and Correctional Service Ministry led by Minister Ronald Lamola.

"I have spoken to the leadership of the Western Cape, especially the Premier, the MEC and JP Smith to say stop crying at the wrong funeral,” he said.

He said the Western Cape had been given more resources than any other province in the country, as they were the first province to receive anti-gang units.

It is also the only province that had "Operation Thunder" until May this year, which saw the deployment of 269 officers, from nine police stations, on the Cape Flats.

Further, Cele pointed out that 5 000 police officers were trained in 2019 and 1 200 of them were dispatched to the Western Cape while 3 800 police officers were split across the rest of the country.

Of the 10 000 police trained in 2022, the Western Cape received 1 100 and "this year we trained 10 000, they are receiving a big chunk more than anybody which is 2 600. We are working together with the Western Cape. For now we will continue to work with them. We are arresting the highest and high flyers of the serious crime in this country in the Western Cape and nobody talks about that," stated Cele.

FESTIVE SEASON

With the approaching the Festive Season, the Minister warned that the Saps and all law enforcement agencies would be out in full force, to maintain law and order.

"All police officers, police reservists, including office-bound members will be roped in to assist in Festive Season policing operations. This force multiplier is over and above the 10 000 more police officers who will graduate on December 15 from police colleges and commence their services to communities,” he noted.

Additionally, the Saps has employed a large number of police reservists, permanently, in the service in the past two years, resulting in the decline of current reservist numbers.

"It is on this score that we want to give a firm warning to criminals and those who plan to conduct themselves outside the law. Police are under strict instruction to squeeze out criminality and all its manifestations. The arm of the law will not be selective, nor will it be kind. The South African Police Service will not negotiate with criminals," warned Cele.