In May, 331 murders were recorded in the Western Cape, compared with 304 murders in May 2018.
“That is more than 10 murders per day in the province- lives cut short by senseless violence,” Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde said.
The statistics are sourced from the forensic services unit in the Western Cape Department of Health and not from the official crime statistics as these are only released by SAPS once a year.
Of the 331 lives lost to murder last month, 171 were shot, and 116 killed by stabbing with a sharp object. A total of 271 of the murders were recorded in the metro, with the remaining 60 in the province’s rural areas.
By comparison, in 2018, 107 people died by being stabbed with a sharp object and 150 were shot. A total of 246 of the murders were recorded in the metro, with 58 rural murders.
Premier Winde said: “The fact that murder numbers have increased year-on-year is deeply concerning and points to systemic f
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