KZN Crime Stats: ANC-led provincial leadership has blood on its hands
19 November 2021
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) quarterly crime statistics for the period July to September, released today, are a grim reminder of some of KZN’s darkest days and correlate directly to the unrest in the province in July.
Critically, the figures have also exposed that when the ANC-led provincial leadership allow factional battles within their party structures, it is the people who suffer. The ANC has blood on its hands.
While the statistics reflect the level of destruction of law and order during this period, they also show that KZN’s citizens are more unsafe than ever before.
This is evidenced by the increase in murders – up by 44.4% – a figure which remains the highest in the entire country. The DA notes in particular the increase in attempted murder cases recorded by Phoenix SAPS during this quarter which saw a staggering 320% increase.
While the latter figure does not come as a surprise, what is truly shocking is that the provincial leadership has, to date, failed to take corrective measures. This is particularly relevant when it comes to sensitive issues such as racial tensions within communities.
Then there are the women who continue to be raped and killed, and community murders are on the rise and together with house robberies also continue to increase.
The reality is that our people remain unsafe under ever-worsening conditions. Despite this, SAPS continues to under-perform and are still not being provided with the key tools to do their jobs properly.
An accountable and ethical state would ensure that there were answers for this travesty.
The DA believes that KZN’s ANC-run government owes it to the people of our province to take full responsibility and turn this unacceptable situation around. If it cannot do so, then it must pack its bags and go.
Until such time as the needs of all our people are placed first, KZN will not be a safe province to live in.
Issued by Sharon Hoosen, DA KZN Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison, 19 November 2021
