Khayelitsha experiences ‘an entire country’s worth of murders’ every year – Researcher

CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks with Dr Jean Redpah, Senior Researcher at Africa Criminal Justice Reform, Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape

Listen below:

Khayelitsha has suffered from persistent violent crime for years, and the residents feel abandoned by SAPS.

The people of Khayelitsha have had to fend off thieves, murderers, and sex offenders on their own.

Redpah states that in the three policing areas of Khayelitsha, there are between 500 and 600 murders annually. This number exceeds the total murders in England and Wales for an entire year.

“It is an entire country’s worth of murders in three policing areas.”

- Dr Jean Redpah, Senior Researcher at Africa Criminal Justice Reform, Dullah Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape

Khayelitsha has one of the lowest police-to-population ratios, meaning streets are largely unprotected.

According to Redpah, the current formula used to determine the number of police needed in an area does not work, and suburban areas tend to be overrepresented.

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People living in the suburbs are more likely to report a crime than those in areas like Khayelitsha, and they are subsequently perceived as utilising more police resources and receiving additional police support.

This desperate situation has caused an increase in vigilante crimes as residents take matters into their own hands.

On Monday, reports emerged of four vigilante killings in Khayelitsha.

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