An entire population worth of people has been murdered in South Africa

Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that almost a quarter-million people have been murdered in South Africa over the past decade, which is equivalent to the entire population of some of the world’s smaller countries.

In a recent parliamentary Q&A, Cele was asked to provide the total number of murders that have been committed in South Africa since 2012 – revealing the disturbing rate at which murders have increased in the last 10 years.

27,066 people were murdered over the course of last year – averaging 74 people murdered every day – which is an increase of 10,853 murders compared to those recorded in 2012.

Concerningly, the number of murders committed in the country has increased every single year, with 2020 being the only expectation – likely due to the lockdowns imposed resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the number of murders recovered dramatically after the lockdowns, increasing to 25,181 in 2021 – jumping 26% – which is the largest year-on-year increase over the 10-year period.

According to the data provided by Cele, including last year’s numbers, 223,632 murders have been committed in South Africa since 2012 – representing an alarming increase of 67%.

To put this alarming number into perspective, we compared this number to the total population numbers of some of the world’s smaller countries.

According to Worldometers.info, Samoa has a total population of 225,681 in 2023 – meaning the equivalent of almost the entire Samoan country was murdered in South Africa over the past decade.

Additionally, those murdered in South Africa since 2012 more than doubled the populations of other countries, such as Tonga (107,773 people), Scycelles (107,660 people), the U.S. Virgin Islands (98,750), and almost quadrupled those living in Greenland (56,643).

The table below shows the number of reported murders every year since 2012 in South Africa.

South Africa’s unacceptably high murder rate is made only more alarming by the number of cases that constitute mass murder – and the low number of convictions for those arrested.

The statistics presented by Cele in another parliamentary Q&A in April showed that the 2,446 incidents of mass murder across the country from 2019 to December 2022 accounted for 5,709 murder victims.

This represents an estimated 2.3 victims per incident. Of the 2,446 incidents, only 1,511 individuals were arrested, with those accused presented before the courts.

Of the 1,511 persons arrested and charged, only 103 were convicted for the murders – representing a conviction rate of only 6.8%.

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