In just three months, 232 people were murdered in Nelson Mandela Bay and 225 were raped as violent crime increased across the province between July and September.
On Thursday, provincial police management released the quarterly crime statistics for the second quarter of the 2021/22 financial year, and while some crimes showed a significant decrease for year-on-year crime, violent crime remains a point of concern.
Speaking at the event, held virtually in Komani, community safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe said the release of the crime statistics was an opportunity for reflection and accountability, and to identify where services needed to improve.
“The numbers do not lie, and in some cases we do not like what they are saying. We cannot rest on our laurels and say the job is done, because it never is,” Tikana-Gxothiwe said.
Compared with the same period in the previous financial year, murder in the Eastern Cape increased by 9.1%, while sexual offences increased by 3.8%, and more specifically rape went up by 7.6%.
Nelson Mandela Bay had nine stations on the province’s top 30 stations for murders, with New Brighton and Bethelsdorp taking the 29th and 30th spots on the national top 30 list.
More people were murdered in their homes than in any other location provincially (296 cases), while most rapes also occurred in the homes of either the victim or the perpetrator (799).
Tikana-Gxothiwe branded gender-based violence as “the second pandemic” and said it would take a combined effort from the community to curb the perpetual violence against women and children.
She also said it was concerning and disturbing to see Lusikisiki and Mthatha ranking among the top 30 stations nationally for sexual offences.
While cash-in-transit heists are still relatively uncommon, with only 13 cases reported during the period in question, the increase from last year was still a staggering 116%.
A total 24 truck hijackings were reported in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Commercial crimes also showed a significant jump across the province, with a 19.7% increase in cases reported.
Ten police stations in the Bay made the Eastern Cape’s top 30 list.
On a more positive note, non-contact crimes, like burglaries at non-residential premises and house burglaries decreased, by 19.1% and 10.6% respectively.
Stock theft also reflected a 16.8% drop in cases reported, and Tikana-Gxothiwe said it would always be an offence that was “close to the Eastern Cape’s heart” due to its large livestock farming community.
She commended officers for building ties with the rural communities and working hard to combat the loss of people’s livelihoods through stock theft.
Asked about the coming festive and season and law enforcement’s efforts in road safety, the MEC urged all motorists to take care and be responsible when getting into the driver’s seat.
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