South Africa is experiencing a double-digit percentage increase in violent crimes because of high poverty and unemployment rates, according to recently-released government statistics.
In releasing the data last week, South African Minister of Police Bheki Cele said that between July and Septembe, 6,163 people died because of violent crimes - an increase of over 1,000 cases compared to those same months in 2020.
“The crime data is again demonstrating that South Africa is a very violent country," Cele said. "This is evident by double-digit percentage increases in all assault categories."
Women and girls are increasingly becoming victims with almost 10,000 rapes reported in the the three-month period, Cele said.
According to the World Population Review, South Africa has third highest crime rates in the world. The South African Medical Research Council reports that one in four men in South Africa admitted to committing rape.
The crime statistics reflect South Africa's growing unemployment rate, which is sparking people's anger, frustration, and "nothing to lose" attitudes, according to analyst Lizette Lancaster at the Institute for Security Studies,
“We’re seeing a 30% increase in murder compared to the 2019 period, which means that we are far more violent now, even during lock downs than we have been prior to the pandemic,” she said.
Kidnappings have also soared in recent months to roughly one per day,
“We are talking about over 4,000 kidnappings that happened in the first six months of this financial year alone," Lancaster said. "About 5% are either ransom or extortion related. The other 5% is revenge related.
Private investigator Pierre Gildenhuys said often the victims of kidnappings are well-off South Africans from abductors who are demanding as much as 50 million Rands - more than $3 million-plus - for ransom.
“We are definitely seeing an uptrend in big cases and smaller cases, and what I also believe is we will also start seeing copycat syndicates," he said.
Rich South Africans are surrounding themselves and their families with personal bodyguard, Gildenhuys said "because this is getting so much exposure, people will start to see, okay this is working, and this is a good way to make money so let us try it."