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Arguments, misunderstandings, provocation and road rage are the major contributing factors to the increasing murder rate in Gauteng.
The startling revelations were made by Gauteng's new police commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, on Tuesday before the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.
Mthombeni said the crime statistics between 1 October and 31 December last year showed that 1 787 people were killed in Gauteng, reflecting an increase of 3.8% (66 counts) compared to the same period in 2022.
He added:
READ: Crime stats: Murder, kidnapping and theft on the rise in Gauteng
He said the province had 65 dockets of murder registered with 156 victims and that has contributed to more accumulated counts of murder during this quarter. He cited examples of incidents of multiple murders that occurred during the quarter under review were in De Deur and Diepsloot.
He said:
Mthombeni said that in Diepsloot, five charred lifeless bodies were discovered on a pile of bricks in the early hours of Saturday near the CPF district office.
He explained that it was alleged that the individuals were chased, caught and tied before being 'necklaced’. Five suspects have since been arrested and were remanded in custody. Their next court appearance is on 20 March 2024.
Mthombeni said the crime statistics were a provincial picture of the national statistics, which were released last month by Police Minister Bheki Cele for the same period.
READ: Almost 16 000 arrested in Gauteng for violent crimes in the last three months
According to Mthombeni, October to December each year is typically the busiest time of the year with increased movement of people into and out of Gauteng and is also characterised by an abundance of cash in circulation. He said the residents of Gauteng, holidaymakers, tourists and businesses alike often fell victim to opportunistic crime over the festive season.
Mthombeni said following the national launch of the Safer Festive Season Operations in October last year, "we mobilised maximum resources, including more boots on the ground, tackling crime on all corners of the province through the festive season and beyond".
He explained:
Mthombeni said their successes attained through integrated operations over the festive period included the arrests of 1134 undocumented people, including 234 illegal mining arrests, 557 arrests for murder and 610 attempted murder.
Also read: The police will show no mercy this festive season
He said there were also over 9 000 arrests for assault and 1 177 suspects arrested for sexual offences, adding that at least 6 055 suspects were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs during the road safety enforcement operations.
Mthombeni said they had shut down 1 145 illegal liquor outlets, recovering over 181 million litres of alcohol while arresting 4 925 suspects for liquor-related offences.
READ: Enyobeni's closure was a gift to other taverns, as underage drinkers remain undeterred
He added:
Mthombeni said it was worth mentioning that Gauteng’s quarterly contribution towards the national figure had been showing a consistent decrease over the past five years. When comparing the same quarter of 2023/2024 with 2019/2020, the quarterly contribution decreased by 1.7 percentage points, which was equivalent to 6 472 counts less.
