Three South African cities among the world’s most violent
Cape Town remains the most violent city in South Africa, but improved crime reporting data has revealed that two other local cities now carry the dubious ‘honour’ of being ranked among the 50 most violent cities in the world.
The Economist, using data from Brazilian think-tank Igarapé Institute, has graphed the 50 most violent cities in the world.
Reflecting similar data in previous years, Latin American cities account for the vast majority of the most violent cities – with 43 of the 50 cities coming from the region – led by San Salvador in El Salvador.
Only two non-Latin American countries feature in the list: the United States, and South Africa.
In 2016’s top 50, South Africa only had one city listed – Cape Town – but in 2017, two more cities have made the cut: Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City, both in the Eastern Cape.
Using the latest available date (from 2016), Cape Town was ranked as the 14th most violent city in the world, behind ‘the usual suspects’ from El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.
Looking at The Economist’s visual data, however, it is clear that Cape Town outranks all of the listed cities in terms of the sheer number of murders.
Cape Town still leads in South Africa with a murder rate of around 61 murders per 100,000 people, according to the data, with Nelson Mandela Bay following with a rate of around 53 murders per 100,000 people, and Buffalo City with a rate of 45 murders per 100,000 people.
Cape Town’s high murder rate is closely linked to high levels of gang activity in and around the city – while the Eastern Cape’s violence problem is linked to overpopulation and poverty in the affected provinces.
South Africa’s high murder rate in these cities puts the country squarely in the top 10 most violent nations on earth, according to the data.
Despite being home to the most violent city in South Africa – and one of the most violent cities in the world – the Western Cape is not South Africa’s most violent province.
In the latest crime stats release, covering April 2016 to December 2016, the Eastern Cape’s murder rate was 40.1 per 100,000 people, compared to the Western Cape’s 39.4 per 100,000 – a narrow 0.7 point lead.
In the comparative data – covering April 2015 to December 2015 – the Eastern Cape also had the highest murder rate at 41.7 murders per 100,000 people, compared to the Western Cape’s 39.7 per 100,000 people.
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