MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Murder cases in the Garden Route district and the country as a whole have increased.

According to the third quarter crime statistics (October to December 2023), 7 710 people were murdered in the country.

In the Garden Route district (GRD), 66 were murdered from October to December 2023. This shows an increase of 18 murders in the district compared with the same period in 2022.

The GRD includes the George, Knysna, Bitou, Hessequa, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn areas.
The statistics, released by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday, 16 February, indicate that the murder count spiked nationwide during the third quarter. The 7 710 total is a jump of 155 from the corresponding period in the previous year.

Garden Route area
Barring the 66 murders, the GRD also reported a total of 261 sexual offences of which 175 were rapes.

Although this is a slight decrease from the 265 sexual offences and 179 rapes in the third quarter of 2022, the reality is still grim. These numbers might just be the tip of the iceberg. Many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) go unreported, meaning the actual toll could be much higher.

Assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) jumped from 1 108 cases to 1 224, while common assault showed a marginal decrease of 11 cases from 1 464 to 1 453.

Crimes detected as a result of police action showed an overall increase of 36 cases, with 17 more reports of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition than the previous year's 18, while 113 more drug-related crimes were reported than the previous year's 1 758. 

Driving under the influence of alcohol showed a decrease of 94 cases, with 488 cases reported in the latest statistics.

Statistics at home
From October to December 2023, the four police stations in the Mossel Bay area, Mossel Bay, KwaNonqaba, Da Gamaskop and Great Brak River, collectively reported 20 murders (11 more than in the previous period), 27 overall sexual offences (40 the year before), 12 attempted murders and 134 cases of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Mossel Bay
The Mossel Bay Police Station reported zero murders, one less than the previous year, the same amount of sexual offences (five), a decrease in rape cases from three to one and two cases of assault GBH (the same as the previous year). Common assault cases decreased from 32 to 31. 

Robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased from six to five cases and common robbery decreased from five cases the previous year to none in the same period for 2023.

Crimes detected as a result of police action also showed a decrease in Mossel Bay with 67 drug-related crimes reported (121 in the previous year) and 36 cases of driving under the influence (55 for 2023). 

Crimes detected as a result of police action cover crimes discovered by active and pro-active policing, such as roadblocks and raids, and include illegal possession of firearms, drug-related crimes and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

KwaNonqaba
Murders in KwaNonqaba doubled, increasing from seven to 14. Reported sexual offences decreased from 18 to nine, with rape cases specifically showing a decline from 13 to five.

Assault with intent to do GBH decreased with one case from 56 to 55 while there was an increase in common assault from 113 to 129. 

Robbery with aggravating circumstances decreased from 32 to 26, but common robbery went up from 13 to 18.

There was a sharp increase in drug-related crimes reported, from 94 for the end of 2022 to 164 for the same period in 2023. A decrease was seen in cases of driving under the influence of alcohol from 45 to 32.

Da Gamaskop
At Da Gamaskop Police Station there were five cases of murder reported compared to none for the same period the previous year.

Sexual offences in general went from 12 to 13 while rape cases stayed the same at six. Both assault with intent to do GBH and common assault increased from 39 to 45 and 72 to 74 respectively. 

Common robbery went up from one case to six, while robberies with aggravating circumstances decreased from 24 to 19.

Drug-related crime detected as a result of police action showed an increase from the previous year's 66 to 74, while there were fewer cases of driving under the influence, decreasing from 106 to 50.

Great Brak
Murder cases reported remained the same in Great Brak River: a single case for this period in 2022 and another for the same period in 2023. 

Sexual offences decreased from five to zero. Included in this is a decrease in reported rape cases from four to zero.

There was a decline in assault with intent to do GBH (48 to 32) and common assault (50 to 39). Common robbery increased by one case, three to four, while robbery with aggravating circumstances increased from one case to four.

Drug-related crime detected by police decreased from 15 to three and cases of driving under the influence went from 12 to eight. 

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