Three murders every hour. This is the sad record of crime in the first quarter of the year in South Africa, according to official police statistics released on Tuesday. Between January and March, murders increased by 3.4% compared to the same period last year with 6,289 victims recorded.

Every three months, in one of the most dangerous southern African countries in the world, Police Minister Bheki Cele paints a grim picture of insecurity at a press conference broadcast live on television. "Fewer children were killed compared to last year," he said, adding that child killings had decreased by 20 percent. "We are gradually regaining ground from criminals," the minister said.

The "epicentre of rape"

For comparison, South Africa records an average of ten homicides per 100,000 inhabitants when Japan is close to zero and the France to one, according to the World Bank.

Sometimes referred to as the "epicentre of rape" for the staggering number of complaints, South Africa opened more than 10,500 cases in the first three months of the year. A figure for once down, with 2.8% fewer cases reported than in the same period last year. Cash-in-transit attacks have also increased by more than 20% and thefts from residences by nearly 6%.

  • Murder
  • South Africa
  • World
  • Criminality