South Africa's Murder Rate Climbs as Police ‘Drop the Ball’
- Police report shows number of homicides average about 56 a day
- Shrinking police force is a major problem, minister says
A South African police officer in Soweto, Johannesburg, on Aug. 29, 2018.
Photographer: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
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South Africa’s murder rate rose to its highest level in nine years as a depleted police force struggled to get to grips with violent crime.
The number of homicides increased 7 percent to 20,336 -- an average of almost 56 a day -- in the 12 months through March, the police service said in its annual crime statistics report on Tuesday. The murder rate increased to 35.2 per 100,000 people -- more than six times higher than that of the U.S.