Eastern Cape - not KwaZulu-Natal - has South Africa’s highest murder rate
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South Africa’s crime statistics have been released and the news isn’t good. The country’s murder rate has increased for a sixth consecutive year. But which province has the highest murder rate?
Radio station East Coast Radio pointed to its home province, with a headline that claimed that “[KwaZulu-Natal] records highest murder rate”.
But the latest crime statistics don’t back this up.
Murder rate takes into account population
KwaZulu-Natal did record the highest number of murders in 2017/18 - at 4,382. But this isn’t the same as the murder rate.
The murder rate refers to the number of murders committed per 100,000 people. It is calculated using the number of murders in a specific area and the total population in that area.
Murder rate = number of murders ÷ (population ÷ 100,000)
Eastern Cape most dangerous
The police’s crime statistics show that the Eastern Cape is the country's most dangerous province when it comes to murder.
It had the highest murder rate at 58.7 murders per 100,000 people. The Western Cape had the second highest (57), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (39.4). - Kate Wilkinson (14/09/2018)
Further reading:
https://africacheck.org/factsheets/factsheet-south-africas-crime-statistics-for-2017-18/
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