SOUTH Africa reported 21 325 murders between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the police announced to the Portfolio Committee on Police on Friday.
This is 303 murders more than the previous year, and increase of 1.4%.
The annual report, issued by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Friday morning, examined ten-year trends associated with a host of various crimes.
While a total of 15 893 murders were recorded in 2010, that number soared to 21 325 in the 2019/2020 financial year.
A spike in killings compared to data gathered in 2018/2019 reveals a 1.4% increase, making the most recent year the deadliest on record.
The latest report also shows that, on average, 58 people are killed in South Africa on a daily basis, placing the country only second to El Salvador as ‘murder capital’ of the world according to a recent study conducted by the United Nations.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)