In the hierarchy of global urban centers, Pretoria, the primary administrative center of South Africa, assumes the ignominious distinction of second-most crime-ridden locale, trailing only behind Caracas in Venezuela, as per the latest international assessments furnished by Numbeo.
A quartet of additional South African municipalities merited inclusion, thereby rendering South Africa as the singular nation worldwide to harbor five of its cities within the upper echelons of this list, disseminated by numbeo.com. Durban, the coastal metropolis, clinched the third position, with Johannesburg, the pivotal economic hub, securing the fourth berth. Port Elizabeth staked its claim at eighth place, while Cape Town clinched the 18th position.
Industry pundits opined that these rankings resonate with the intermittent crime data unveiled by South Africa’s police minister, Bheki Cele. In February of the present year, Cele corroborated, whilst divulging statistics for the concluding quarter of 2023, an alarming tally of approximately 7,700 homicides during that interval. Moreover, he shed light on figures pertaining to gender-based violence, a scourge that activists combating violence against women deemed disconcerting.
Analysis from a sample pool of 7,340 homicides deduced that disputes, misconceptions, and instigation persist as the primary impetus, precipitating 1,116 killings. Cele elucidated that 431 homicides were attributed to vigilantism and mob justice reprisals.
The minister underscored the deleterious impact of illicit mining and extortionate activities across various sectors on South Africa. Kidnappings conducted for monetary ransom have burgeoned into a lucrative enterprise for organized criminal syndicates within South Africa’s precincts. The SAPS (South African Police Services) perseveres in its endeavors to unmask and apprehend factions implicated in abductions, particularly those accompanied by ransom demands. Cele disclosed that over the past biennium, more than 300 suspects associated with such abductions have been detained.
Numbeo delineated that its Crime Index is assembled, factoring in diverse considerations, encompassing the general perception of crime levels, the perceived safety experienced by residents and visitors, and specific anxieties.
Eminent criminologist Professor Kholofelo Rakubu averred to The Star newspaper that the rampant levels of violence or violent crimes within South Africa defy singular explanation.
Violent crime within South Africa arises from a confluence of multiple elements. Rakubu noted that firearm-related offenses have historically permeated South African society. Nevertheless, the facile accessibility of firearms has substantially catalyzed the exponential surge in violent crime across the nation.
The roster also included eleven Indian urban centers, with Delhi occupying the 70th slot, Noida securing the 87th position, and Gurgaon settling at 95th. Bangalore (102), Indore (136), Kolkata (159), Mumbai (169), Hyderabad (174), Chandigarh (177), and Pune (184) constituted the remaining Indian cities enumerated within the index.