By Doreen Mokgolo
Limpopo has been named the safest province in South Africa.
Statistics for the first quarter of the year were released on Tuesday, showing a decrease in major crimes in the province.
During a briefing in August, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said Limpopo had a murder rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people, making it the safest province.
In 2022-23, the risk of being murdered was highest in the Eastern Cape, with a rate of 71 killings per 100,000 people.
Close behind are KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and Gauteng.
Limpopo also saw a 3.8% drop in rape cases and a 6% decrease in sexual offences.
SAPS provincial commissioner Lieutenant Thembi Hadebe thanked the police teams, especially the family violence, child protection, and sexual offences unit, for their efforts.
“Their work led to 364 years of imprisonment and seven life sentences,” Hadebe said.
She also mentioned a 9.8% increase in crimes solved due to police efforts, with a 28.8% rise in arrests for illegal guns and a 4.2% increase in detecting drug-related crimes. Sexual offences detected by police increased by 8.8%.
MEC of Transport and Community Safety, Violet Mathye, welcomed the 6% drop in sexual offences but said it was important to stop these crimes completely.
She raised concerns that many rape cases happen in private homes, and some might not be reported because families protect the perpetrators or threaten the victims.
Mathye was also concerned about the number of children killed during this period, saying it shows how violent South African society has become.
Pictured above: SAPS provincial commissioner Lieutenant Thembi Hadebe.
Source: Supplied
