Shooting-murders quadruple in Western Cape over past four years: West Cape officials critical about ANC-regime's failure to remove illegal weapons from South Africa.
An average monthly 105 people are shot dead in the West Cape province of South Africa. And thus far this year up to Monday Nov 11 2014, a total of 1,071 people were shot dead in the Western Cape alone. These statistics by the Cape Argus newspaper were based on the number of people with gunshot injuries in the mortuaries.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/western-cape-shock-murder-stats-1.1777564
November 9 2014 Stats based on numbers of bodies in mortuaries
Figures supplied to Weekend Argus by Professor Lorna J Martin, the head of UCT’s Clinical Laboratory Services Forensic Medicine Division, showed that this year to Monday, 1,071 people had apparently been shot dead.
By Caryn Dolley Cape Town - Every month about 105 people are shot dead in the Western Cape.
In the first 72 hours of this month alone, 18 people were killed in shootings.These alarming figures, which show that the number of murders involving firearms in the province has nearly doubled over four years, are based on bodies admitted to mortuaries. While pathologists have not confirmed what caused the deaths, very few of the cases admitted as murders due to gunshot wounds turn out not to be gun killings.
These statistics are more up to date than those the police officially release once a year.This week commnity safety MEC Dan Plato described the figures as “horrific”, and mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith pointed to staff shortages in the police as one the factors aggravating the situation.Provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer said while police were “doing everything in our power” to deal with the situation, he was worried.“We are concerned about the high prevalence of violence in the province, with people being seriously injured or killed,” he said.
Shootings have recently been highlighted following the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, who was gunned down in Vosloosrus on October 26.
In the Western Cape specifically, gun violence has been in the spotlight after Ses’khona People’s Rights Movement leader Andile Lili was shot and wounded outside his Khayelitsha home late on Wednesday.
Gang shootings have also recently spiked with at least six murders this week.
Figures supplied to Weekend Argus by Professor Lorna J Martin, the head of UCT’s Clinical Laboratory Services Forensic Medicine Division, showed that this year to Monday, 1,071 people had apparently been shot dead.
This was more than the total number of people murdered with guns for the whole of last year and nearly double the number killed in fatal shootings in 2011 in the Western Cape.
The figures also show that:
- An average of 105 people have been killed in shootings every month this year.
- Last year an average of 80 people were apparently shot dead each month, while in 2012 an average of 65 were killed monthly and in 2011 an average of 52 per month.
- From the start of this year to date 123 were shot dead.
- In February, 79 died from gunshot wounds.
Smith said the Metro Police were doing what they could to clamp down on violence, but they only controlled about 3 percent of policing resources.
“The main problem with combating this is the approach by national government (and therefore the SAPS) which has previously refused to implement specialist units or task teams (in the Western Cape),” he said.
Police provincially and nationally have dismissed calls to reintroduce specialised units.
Smith said the police faced major staff shortages “in gang hotspot areas with 85 percent of the police stations under-resourced and incapable of impacting on the problem meaningfully”.
Plato said he was concerned about illegal gun ownership. “I think gun control in South Africa is a shambles. I’m not against those who’ve got legal firearms. My big problem is the illegal guns. “I’m criticising the government, but I’m part of the government… At the end of the day, one death is one too many.” Lamoer said unlicensed firearms were a concern to police. He said 2 300 had been confiscated in the Western Cape in the last financial year.
Referring to allegations of staff shortages in the police, Lamoer said there was a 9 percent vacancy rate and officers had been distributed evenly.He urged residents to be vigilant as the festive season approached and said everybody played a role in trying to combat crime, not just the police.In some of the latest shootings this week, two men were killed in Hanover Park yesterday and a third wounded.
And late on Friday, also in Hanover Park, two men were arrested and a firearm confiscated. On Wednesday, a resident was fatally gunned down and a suspect arrested.
Hanover Park community police forum spokesman Ebrahim Abrahams said 13 people were shot dead in 14 days in the area.
“The problem we have in Hanover Park is the youth, they’re running amok with guns… We are really confused by the arrogance of these youth. They know police will get information, it doesn’t stop them,” he said.
On Tuesday three men were killed and a fourth shot in gang hotspot Manenberg, where police said a 14-year-old was arrested this week for having an illegal firearm and ammunition.
A man was also shot dead in Philippi on Tuesday.
And later that day three men were wounded in Bonteheuwel, where a community leader said at least 20 shootings were reported in two weeks.
Bonteheuwel residents took to a community Facebook group to express their frustration.
“How many innocent lives will be lost. Why must we live in fear everyday. We fear just leaving our homes. What next. We r not important,” (sic) one post said. - Sunday Argus
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