Between the months of April to September, 989 women were murdered and 558 children were killed in South Africa.

In the same period over 13,000 women were victims of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) and a further 1,277 women were victims of attempted murder.

These chilling statistics were revealed by Minister of Police Bheki Cele on Wednesday when he presented the crime statistics for the quarter.

Cele said police are investigating attempted murder dockets of 294 children for the same period.

Over 10,000 rape cases were reported at police stations between July and September this year.

Police arrested 410 rapists and 68 were sentenced to life behind bars.

Among them is Pastor Hlumelo Dywili who was sentenced to life in August for the rape of a 33-year-old congregant.

“It is clear, the broader civil society, religious organisations and various community structures must sharply address the causes and preventative measures of crimes against women and children,” said Cele.

Cele said 7,004 people were killed by other persons in the country in the quarter.

“This is an increase of 841 more people murdered, compared to the same period in 2021, when the country was placed under Covid-19 lockdown,” said Cele.

Inanda, in the north of Durban, was yet again named the murder capital of the country. It was followed by uMlazi, south of Durban, and Nyanga in the Western Cape.

A total of 274 counts of murder were reported in these three areas.

POLICE KILLINGS

Cele ordered the police to “meet fire with fire” when he announced that 22 police officers were killed from July to September, two fewer than the same period last year.

“It is quite simple; police must fight fire with fire,” said Cele.

The KwaZulu-Natal province topped the list for the highest number of multiple murders, followed by Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Cele said the police would rope in 10,000 more police in December to fight crime during the festive season.

Total contact crimes increased by 18.5% from the previous quarter.

Pictured above: Bheki Cele