Crime stats: KZN has become a murder capital, with one murder every 150 minutes

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal is shocked and alarmed by the high number of murders in the province. Along with other crime rates rising, the growing murder rate shows that the National Government’s grip of the South African Police Service is leaving our communities at a growing risk of serious crime.

According to the Crime Statistics released this morning, KZN has become a murder capital as the number of murders in the province increased by 5.4%. The province sees 21.4% of national murders committed here. This means that one person is murdered in this province in every 2.5 hours.

This is an appalling and unacceptable murder rate, and is directly the fault of national government and the SAPS. The province also registered another increase in assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

While the statistics leave us cold, they are also themselves unreliable. The DA has called for an independent audit of the crime statistics and we must see independence in reporting to ensure that the truth on the scale of crime is exposed.

With the release of these figures, KwaZulu-Natal residents cannot be blamed for feeling unsafe. The province is one of the three leading provinces in almost all crimes committed in this country. Everyday people‘s lives are put at risk in this province by inefficient policing, that is undertrained and poorly led.

We need proper police training, filling of vacancies, sound leadership from a competent commissioner and political will to stop crime, with specialised units to tackle drug crime, gang crime and rural safety units too.

I will be writing to the chairperson of the provincial portfolio committee on safety requesting that the MEC and the provincial police commissioner appear before the committee to account for these appalling figures and to answer on why we do not have specialised units in operation.

Even though we acknowledge with caution the Ministers declaration that these Stats have been produced in consultation with StatsSA we continue as the party to call for an independent audit of the crime statistics to give them more credibility. We also call for the re- establishment of crime units. The specialised units produced results in fighting crime and as the party we will continue to call for their return.

People of KwaZulu Natal and whole country have a reason not to feel safe tonight, with the current leadership in the province and nationally they can’t be blamed. We will continue calling for accountability in making sure that people of this province are safe and free in their homes, on the road and in their workplaces.

Issued by Dr Rishigen Viranna, DA KZN Community Safety Spokesperson, 29 September 2015