South Africa's murder rate

The South African Police Service, with Statistics South Africa, has published the country’s crime statistics for 2019/20, showing which types of criminal activities have increased and decreased in the past year. The stats cover twenty-one crime categories, seventeen of which are reported by the public, and four of which are as a result of police activity. In the 2019/20 period, overall crime levels were down when compared to the prior year. This is because of both fewer crimes reported in communities, as well as fewer crimes detected through police action. Across all crime categories, only contact crimes were up, with all other crime types down. Meanwhile the Institute for Security Studies says while the annual crime statistics reveal a substantial increase in violent crimes, including murder and sexual offences, there was a “small silver lining” in the latest figures.

African Dialogue's Benjamin Moshatama speaks to:

• Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies

• Lirandzu Themba, is the spokesperson for the Police Ministry

• Getbrandt Van Heerden - research analyst at the Centre for Risk Analysis