The statistics were released by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, recently. The Namakgale Police Station recorded five cases of murder compared to no murders in the same period last year. Crimes that are rife in the area are rape which increased by 47.1%, sexual offences rose by 28.6% and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition is 100% higher.
Meanwhile, there is also good news for Namakgale. Sexual assault decreased by 75%, shoplifting is 20% lower, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has also gone down by 200%. Lulekani Police Station has on the other end recorded four murder cases, the same number of murders as last year in the same period.
Also read: Sexual offences increase in Phalaborwa
Sexual offences and rape have increased by 55.6% and 50% respectively. Common robbery also rose by 150% and theft out of a motor vehicle shot up by 300%. The comforting news is that sexual assault and kidnapping have gone down by 100% and drug-related crimes are 320% lower. Phalaborwa Police Station has documented the lowest number of murders during this period with one case.
Malicious damage to property rose by 100% after the cases moved from five in 2022 to 10 in 2023. Shoplifting has increased by 340% in the area and burglaries at both residential and non-residential premises have increased in these three months. The community of Phalaborwa will sleep better knowing that sexual offences, rape, and attempted murder are down by 80%, 100%, and 66.7% respectively.
Also read: Crime stats show a decrease in Limpopo
Cele stated that the country had recorded a high number of murders during the past three months. He said that it is, however, the lowest murder statistic police have recorded in the past three quarters. “The majority of the killings took place in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng with arguments, vigilantism, and robberies topping the motive list,” he said. Cele also stated that there were fewer child killings in this quarter. He thanked the men and women in blue who work tirelessly to alleviate criminality in the country.
