A video of what’s reported to be Minister of Police Bheki Cele’s daughter partying without any underwear is the first of 2022 to go viral. Photo: Alexander/Sunday Times/Gallo Images/Getty Images
A video of what’s reported to be Minister of Police Bheki Cele’s daughter partying without any underwear is the first of 2022 to go viral. Photo: Alexander/Sunday Times/Gallo Images/Getty Images
The latest crime stats announced by Police Minister Bheki Cele paint a disturbing picture of violence on the rise in South Africa, particularly with regard to crimes relating to murder and gender-based violence (GBV) incidents, with more than 10 000 people raped between April and June 2021.
In response to these horrific figures, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has once again called for Cele’s head, saying that the increases in crime are directly correlated with his failures as head of police.
Crime stats ‘shocking and abnormal’ – DA
In a statement issued on Friday 20 August, Andrew Whitfield, the DA’s Shadow Minister of Police, said that the crime statistics announced earlier in the day are an “indictment on Cele and the South African Police Service (SAPS)”.
“The Minister today sought to whitewash these figures by stating that they were ‘high and unnatural’ as a result of the lockdown. However, the prevalence of violent crime is still shocking and abnormal,” he charged.
Whitfield cited a 60.2% increase in murders compared to the same period last year, with a total of 5 760 people losing their lives during the period between April and June 2021. Contact crimes saw a 60.6% increase and aggravated robberies went up by a staggering 92.2%.
Whitfield also noted the continuing threat of farm attacks and murders, with 181 attacks on farms and small holdings which resulted in 15 murders reported in the latest crime stats release.
“There were 47 more attacks compared to the same period last year. The need for visible, boots on the ground policing in rural areas is critical to ensure the safety of these communities,” he said.
‘Vulnerable groups bear the brunt’
The horrific surge in crimes against women and children has deeply disturbed the DA, Whitfield said, adding that most of these cases stem from domestic violence incidents.
“The DA remains concerned by the high levels of sexual violence and domestic abuse which continues to ravage communities, especially women and children. In the three months of reporting, more than 10 000 people were raped,” he said.
“With every batch of crime statistics released it becomes increasingly clear that vulnerable communities and groups continue to bear the brunt of heinous physical acts of violence. They are also the biggest victims of Minister Cele and the SAPS’ incompetence.”
“It’s time for Minister Cele to take responsibility for his failure to keep South Africans safe and resign,” he concluded.
