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The DA in uThukela District notes Minister Bheki Cele’s reply that indicates that only three murders have been reported from January 2019 to December 2022 in Estcourt (view replies here, here and here).

The DA had submitted the questions following an alarming increase in murders from community members and media outlets in the region. The number of murders given by the Minister of Police does not tie up with the 14 murders that have allegedly taken place in the ‘Estcourt environs from November 2022 to February 2023.

The Minister has been requested to give details of murders in Estcourt in January and February 2023.

The replies from the Minister of Police indicate that during the four years of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 the following three cases of murder were opened in ‘Estcourt:

• August 2019 CAS 92/08/2019 No persons convicted;
• June 2020 CAS 13/06/2020 No persons convicted; and
• November 2022 CAS 66/11/2022 No persons convicted.

This “success” is marred by the fact that despite one case having taken place over three years ago, not a single person has been convicted for any of these murders. This failure by the police to ensure that these murderers are identified and convicted results in drawn-out trauma for the families of the victims, who do not see justice being done even if such justice will not return to their loved ones.

Also of great concern is that during the four-year period from 2019 to 2022, there were no cases of attempted murder nor any drive-by shootings. This does not tie up with the DA’s own research.

The DA is therefore of the view that the response received from the Minister may not be a true reflection of what we have seen on the ground.

Issued by Alf Lees, MP - DA uThukela Constituency Head