South Africa recorded nearly 70 murders a day in the first half of the year, up 16.5% from the first half of 2021, police said Friday (August 19).
The country, which has one of the worst crime rates in the world, recorded 6,424 murders from April to June, police said.
They come on top of the 6,083 already recorded in the first quarter of 2022. Last year, there were an average of 65 murders per day.
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"
The number of murders remains high and worrying
," police minister Bheki Cele admitted at a press briefing.
Murders increased by 16.5% in the first half of 2022, according to official statistics, compared to the same period in 2021. The minister said that "
disputes and misunderstandings
" as well as "
retaliations and revenge
" constituted the main motives for the murders, with the phenomenon of self-defense in third place.
Taking the law into your own hands is a growing phenomenon in South Africa, where most of the population cannot afford private security companies, which work for people with high incomes.
In addition, locals often complain about the slow response of the police and their inability to curb crime.
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Two suspects were stoned to death and their bodies burned by mobs in Limpopo province on Wednesday after they attempted to abduct a woman, police said.
Angry mobs have also hunted down minors and illegal migrants in recent weeks, following the gang rape of eight women in western Johannesburg in July.
Rapes fell by around 5% in the second quarter of 2022, but the total still remains very high, with 9,516 cases recorded, or more than 100 per day.
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