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- Murders in South Africa spiked in March, averaging 82 deaths a day
- For the past six months, murders averaged 70 a day
- In first half of 2022 and 2023, murders averaged 69 a day
There was a spike in the number of murders reported by the SA Police Service in March, when 2,550 people were killed, or an average of 82 a day.
According to the latest data from the Saps, one in every five of the 12,734 murders reported in the first half of 2024 were in March. The average number a day for the six-month period is 70, so March is an outlier.
For the past two years, reported murders in the first half of the year averaged 69 a day.
It’s not clear from the provincial data if the March murders were localised because, as usual, almost half (46%) of the murders reported that month were in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. None of the other provinces showed a notable increase.
The first six months of the year are generally not peak periods for murder. Interpersonal violence typically spikes over the festive season when people spend more time together.
— 4 September, 2024Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for more charts like this
