The Milnerton precinct has been ranked among the top 20 in the country for “other serious crimes”, while Table View is among the top 30, according to the latest crime statistics.
These are crimes like theft, shoplifting and commercial crimes, including fraud, corruption, money laundering and forgery.
Police Minister Bheki Cele released the latest crime statistics last week. They show all reported crime in the country from April 1 2019 to March 31 2020.
The stats show increases nationally in murder, rape, assault and robbery.
For the fourth year in a row, rape and other sexual assault cases have risen – 706 more rape cases have been recorded compared to the previous year (from 41 583 to 42 289).
In the Western Cape, there were 4 877 reported rape cases – 4.9% more than last year’s stats.
The country’s murders rose 1.4%, from 21 022 to 21325 cases. In the Western Cape, they dropped by one case, from 3975 to 3974 cases.
Delft has replaced Nyanga as South Africa’s murder capital. Delft’s murder cases rose 7.3%, from 247 to 265 cases, while Nyanga dropped 36%, from 289 to 185 cases, to fifth place.
Six Western Cape precincts – Delft, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Mfuleni, Harare and Gugulethu – are among the country’s top-10 murder hot spots.
Milnerton ranks 19th and Table View 22nd in the “other serious crimes” category.
Table View is ranked 23rd for thefts with 1319 cases, down from 1326 the previous year. Milnerton is 24th, with 1310 cases, down from 1451 cases.
Milnerton is ranked 19th in the country for sexual assault cases. The precinct recorded a 61.9% increase, up from 21 to 34 cases.
Milnerton is ranked 9th for shoplifting, up 26,3%, from 509 to 615 cases. Table View is ranked 17th.
Table View Neighbourhood Watch spokeswoman Laura Outhet said: “There are many shopping centres in the area and people come from other areas to shop here. Smaller crimes like this are always a concern because they may lead to bigger, more serious crimes.
“We are saddened by the 72 police members who were murdered on/off duty. Also notable for the Western Cape is the increase in sexual offences.
“Although one can never get an accurate crime stat number as some victims choose not to report crimes or decide to drop charges, we encourage all community members to carry on being vigilant in their surroundings and report anything suspicious by calling the local SAPS office.”
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said he had noted the increases in sexual assaults, rape, robbery and carjackings.
The ability to deploy resources where needed was key to the province’s efforts to reduce crime, he said.
“Sadly, some of the statistics released are over 12 months old, which impacts negatively on our ability to respond to changes in crime patterns. Under the lockdown, the criminal landscape has changed drastically and therefore the statistics provided are largely unhelpful.
“The number of murders in 2019/20 are the highest in ten years, sitting at 3974 as compared to 2308 in 2010/11. This is a nearly 50% increase in murders over this period,” he said.
