Speaking to the portfolio committee on police in Parliament, Police Minister Bheki Cele has said that the unrest that followed former president Jacob Zuma’s arrest and imprisonment had an impact on increased crime statistics, IOL reports. Looting and violence marked the unrest during July which saw more than 300 people killed, along with heavy damage to businesses and infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The period between July and September was also noted for a higher number of murders compared to the previous quarter, according to Major-General Norman Sekhukhune of the South African Police Service. Sekhukhune said that 6,163 were killed between July and September 2021.
Sekhukhune also said that there was an increase in sexual offences, with a higher number of incidents reported in the second quarter totaling 11,964. The release of the latest crime statistics comes after government reduced the budgets of several departments due to the outbreak of Covid-19. This includes the police and other security-related departments.