Bheki Cele Minister of Police Bheki Cele. Picture: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
DURBAN - The KwaZulu-Natal province has been dubbed the “rape capital” of the country for the second time this year, as confirmed when Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the crime statistics for the second quarter of 2020/2021 on Friday.
Cele was speaking at a media conference in Pretoria, where he presented the latest crime statistics measuring the period from July to September 2020.
“July, August and September 2020 were dangerous months for thousands of women in this country,” the police minister said.
Cele said 8,922 cases of rape were reported during this period.
Out of 5,168 rape cases, 3,578 of those victims were either raped in their homes or the homes of the suspect.
“Over a thousand persons were raped in public places such as parks, beaches, parking areas or open fields. The same analysis also revealed that more people were raped in KwaZulu-Natal than any other province,” Cele said.
Between July and September 2020, 5,107 people were murdered in South Africa.
More than 900 of the victims were killed in their homes or the home of their killer.
The police minister remained firm in his stance that alcohol fuels the nation’s thirst for murder and sexual crimes.
Cele said the statistics of violent crimes in the proximity of liquor establishments make the “true effects of alcohol” undeniable.
“The figures show the consumption and abuse of alcohol is a causative factor in hundreds of murder cases recorded in the second quarter.”
Liquor was involved in 829 assault cases and 747 rape cases, while 179 attempted murders were alcohol induced.
Earlier this year, Inanda and Umlazi, two townships in KwaZulu-Natal, recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country for the period of 2019/2020, at 297 and 293 cases respectively.
“One other problem we have found with Inanda is that most people are raped coming from shebeens, they are raped around shebeens or they are raped in shebeens. Murders will go with these rapes, which means alcohol does play a role with these issues,” the police minister said in July.
ANA