Bethelsdorp in Port Elizabeth has ranked as one of the most dangerous and violent suburbs in the country.
The area’s policing precinct ranked in the top 30 — where most crimes were committed in SA — seven times across various categories.
Bethelsdorp made the lists for murder, attempted murder, contact crime, sexual assault, arson, malicious damage to property, and illegal possession of a firearm.
This comes after police minister Bheki Cele released the national crime statistics for April 2019 to March 2020 on Friday.
The gang-infested Bethelsdorp came out tops in SA for attempted murder — recording 246 — for the past financial year.
For murder, the suburb was ranked at number 12 with 152 deaths — nine more than the last financial year.
Sexual assaults also saw an increase, from 23 to 39, leaving Bethelsdorp as the ninth-worst policing precinct in SA for such crimes.
Social activist Christian Martin said in the past residents would run from gunshots but now headed towards the sound.
“Shootings have become a new norm in Bethelsdorp. People want to see out of pure curiosity what has happened. This is not normal,” he said.
“People have become accustomed to crime. It is just like when you boil a crayfish in water, they slowly get used to the heat before it is too late.”
On Bethelsdorp being listed seven times, he said: “It is shocking but not surprising.”
Martin — who lives in Bethelsdorp — spent a night sleeping in a coffin two years ago in front of the Eastern Cape premier’s office in Bhisho to highlight gangsterism in the northern areas.
“There are socials ill in the area which start with gangsterism and general crime.”
He said a new functional police station to carry the load would only be part of the solution to lessen crime in Bethelsdorp.
United Pentecostal Church of SA pastor Jan Bekkies, who also lives in Bethelsdorp, said: “It is terrible that our people must live like.
“These statistics show what our daily lifestyle is like.”
He said gunshots could be heard almost every day in Bethelsdorp.
“People run past houses with guns all the time.”
Bethelsdorp also came in fifth for both the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition (153 recorded cases) and arson (22 cases).
For contact-related crimes, Bethelsdorp came in ninth and 11th for malicious damage to property.
Cele said victims of rape were more than twice as likely to be attacked in a home than in a public space, according to crime statistics released on Friday.
Statistics from the police between April 2019 and March 2020 revealed 18,231 victims were raped at a home, including a residence known by the victim, perpetrator, or a family member.
Rape cases climbed by 1.7% during the past year. Though the increase appears nominal, this equates to 42,289 reported cases.
The statistics showed 7,940 people were raped in public spaces.
Cele said sexual offences — which include rape, sexual assault, attempted sexual offence and contact sexual offences — had “terrorised” households and communities.
Cele said awareness campaigns on gender-based violence and femicide must be intensified.
The statistics painted a grim picture of the safety and security landscape in SA. Six key takeaways show that:
- Across the country, the number of murders rose, with 21,325 people killed during the period under review, representing an increase of 1.4% or 303 cases. This is the most murders recorded in a decade, with an average of just more than 61 people killed every day;
- Incidents of sexual assault rose by 4.7%, increasing by 312 cases compared with the year before and bringing the total to 7,749;
- The number of children murdered during the year dipped by 7%, with 943 murders under investigation. This translates to more than two children murdered every day;
- According to police, they were called to investigate 17,118 cases in which children were raped. This represents a 7.9% drop in the number of incidents or 1,468 cases;
- A total of 3,727 sexual assault cases were recorded. Another promising sign of reduction is that this category of crime was reduced by 724 cases, or 16.3% compared with the year before; and
- Farm murders attacks on farms and smallholdings were also in the spotlight. The police recorded 49 murders during the period, with the Eastern Cape and Free State standing out as the most dangerous provinces with 12 cases each.
The police also examined factors that led to the high murder rate, revealing that 3,447 murders occurred in the heat of an argument, and 1,482 murders were as a result of domestic violence.
In shebeens, taverns, and nightclubs, where alcohol is not in short supply, 348 rapes were recorded, 844 murders, 838 cases of attempted murder, and 11,128 cases of assault GBH.
Cele said schools, universities, colleges and day care facilities had become hotbeds of sexual violence, and the increase in the number of murders was cause for concern.
“It is of concern that 380 cases of rape were reported at either schools, universities, colleges or day care facilities,” he said.
Cele said that while there were categories that recorded significant increases, police were making headway in tackling other “stubborn” areas.
“The statistics for 2019/2020 reflect the slowing down of the increase in violent crimes,” he said.
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