Key Points
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KZN’s crime rates have surged since COVID-19 restrictions eased.
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There’s a rise in assaults, murders, and sexual offenses.
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Police efforts have reduced hijackings, but violent crimes persist.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has witnessed a concerning increase in crime rates following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, according to the province’s police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
In a press briefing on Monday, Mkhwanazi revealed that while criminal activities had briefly declined during the pandemic, they have now surged across the province, with violent crimes such as assaults and murders seeing the sharpest increases.
Contact crimes surge across KZN
Mkhwanazi shared troubling statistics that show a dramatic rise in contact crimes, particularly assaults. In 2020, KZN recorded 65,685 criminal cases.
However, by the first nine months of the current financial year, the number jumped to 88,000. Most of these cases involved assaults, which often happen in social settings where gatherings turn violent.
“As far as contact crimes go, this remains the biggest contributor to our statistics across all these years,” Mkhwanazi noted.
Murder and sexual offenses also rise
The province has also seen an increase in murders, with 3,501 cases in 2020 and 4,278 recorded in 2024. However, Mkhwanazi highlighted a positive trend, pointing out a slight reduction of 558 murder cases from 2022 to 2023. Despite this decrease, the number of murders is still significantly high.
Rape cases remain a major issue in KZN. In 2020, the province saw 4,954 rape cases, which increased to 5,885 in 2021, and 6,338 in 2022.
While there was a slight decrease in 2023, with 6,146 cases recorded, Mkhwanazi emphasized that more needs to be done to tackle the problem.
Hijackings show improvement
In terms of hijackings, Mkhwanazi pointed out a decrease in cases, from 2,500 in 2022 to 2,052 in 2023. This decrease, though significant, is still a major concern because hijackings often lead to more serious crimes like assault and murder.
Commitment to reducing crime
Despite the rising crime rates, Mkhwanazi assured the public that KZN police are committed to reducing crime to the levels seen in 2020. He stressed the importance of continued collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and the community to fight crime.
