KZN Crime Stats: A province under siege as criminals have more firepower than SAPS
23 November 2022
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called on Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and her Community Safety MEC, Sipho Hlomuka to account following the release of the 2nd Quarter Crime Statistics for the province, which show a province under siege with criminals having more firepower than the SAPS.
The information, released earlier today for the period July to September, shows an increase in serious crime across the board and paints an extremely grim picture of runaway lawlessness in our province. This as the ANC government pays lip-service to the devastating effect that crime is having on our people.
According to the figures, KZN remains the province with the highest number of murder cases, with an increase of 6.5% and 1 857 reported cases. Attempted murder is also up, with 1 614 cases – an increase of 8.5%.
The province is also second only to Gauteng when it comes to reported rapes, with an increase of 9.9% and a staggering 2 045 incidents within the three-month period. Other serious crime increases include;
- A staggering 96.1% increase in attempted sexual offences with 100 cases
- An equally alarming 92.9% increase in kidnapping, with 713 cases
- A 16.4% increase in contact crime with 27 458 cases.
- A 17.3% increase in assault with 6 273 cases
- A 9.8% increase in sexual offences with 2 458 cases;
- A 33% increase in robbery, with four KZN communities ranked amongst the worst in the country for residential robberies and
- A rise of 26.8% for carjacking and 77.8% for truck hijackings.
Regrettably, these are not just figures – they reflect the real life experiences of KZN’s people. They also point directly to a government that does not value the personal safety of its people.
The release of crime stats has become a cue for this ANC government to make more elaborate promises, which it never fulfils.
Then there are the lies that it expects communities to believe – that it is safe for them to walk around their neighbourhoods, that SAPS facilities and services are being improved and - the biggest one of them all – that justice will be served when it comes to those who commit crime.
The question is: How does it intend doing this when SAPS officers lack capacity, are under-resourced, under-trained, underpaid and have to deal with numerous infrastructure challenges? If the tide is to be turned against crime, this is where KZN’s political leadership need to focus first.
The DA has offered numerous solutions to crime in KZN but there is a clear lack of political will to implement them.
Until such time as there is political change, KZN’s people will continue to live under siege. In just over a year the citizens of our province will have the opportunity to break free from an ANC government more interested in self-promotion that protecting them. Only then will our communities become safer.
Issued by Sharon Hoosen, DA KZN Spokesperson on Community Safety and Liaison, 23 November 2022
