Winde vaccine

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde. Photo: Jaco Marais

Weekend crime stats: Cape Town sees slight drop in murders

Cape Town has seen a slight drop in gun-related murders for the first time in ten weekends.

Winde vaccine

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde. Photo: Jaco Marais

The City of Cape Town has revealed, in its weekly crime statistic updates, that for the first time in ten weekends, there has been a decrease in gun-related murders.

In a statement, the provincial Ministry of Community Safety noted that the results from murder activity recorded between Friday, 2 August and Sunday, 4 August, showed a marked improvement in law enforcement’s efforts to address the scourge of violence that has gripped the city in fear.

Weekend crime stats: Murder by numbers

There was a slight drop in murders this past weekend, with the total coming to 41 killings, compared to the 46 recorded during the pay-day weekend.

The drop of five murders, according to Cape Town’s Premier, Alan Winde, might be negligible, but the most important thing to note is that there has been a drop in gun-related murders.

“When compared with last weekend, we saw the number of recorded murders in the metro region dip from 46 to 41, which is still incredibly high. What we have seen is a marked decline in the number of murders as a result of a gunshot, which was at its lowest in at least ten weekends,” Winde stated.

The murders that were committed in Cape Town this weekend included:

  • 16 deaths caused by gunshots;
  • 19 stabbings; and
  • six murders due to unspecified circumstances

Cape Town murders by area

While the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has had some impact on crime, criminals in targeted crisis zones still managed to commit murders.

These are the murders that were recorded in the Cape Town targeted crisis zones:

  • Gugulethu: three murders;
  • Khayelitsha: seven murders;
  • Langa: four murders;
  • Manenberg: one murder recorded; and
  • Mitchell’s Plain: one murder recorded

“The SANDF is currently employed in various areas of the Western Cape as a stabilisation force, and I believe we are starting to see some impact of the additional boots on the ground in some of the trends we are seeing. Increased police operations, coupled with additional law enforcement officers from the City of Cape Town, and community Neighbourhood Watch efforts, will start to pay dividends over time as criminals and gangsters start to feel the pressure of visible policing, arrests and community-driven efforts to take back their spaces,” Winde added.

Cape crime: Escalating stabbings are a concern

The City has raised a concern with the escalating number of murders caused by stabbings, which is an indication that there may be a rise in interpersonal violence.

“We remain concerned about the number of stabbings at 19, as these could point to instances of interpersonal violence, which in some instances is very difficult to police and prevent,” the Premier noted.