Most murders are said to be connected to the transport sector, with some fatalities recorded near taxi ranks.

This was announced by Police Minister, Bheki Cele at Parliament yesterday, after the National Assembly committee on Police summoned the station commanders of the five stations with the highest incidences of violent crimes.

The commanders are from Hillbrow, Johannesburg Central, Kagiso, Mitchell’s Plain and Nyanga police stations. The committee wanted to know what strategies these commanders put in place to reduce crimes in their area.

Committee chairperson Francois Beukman said it is of fundamental importance that violent crimes be prioritised.
“Murder, attempted murder, robbery and rape are crimes that affect the safety of communities and the necessary measures should be taken to intervene in the top five crime stations,” he said.

Beukman said effectively dealing with the root causes of contact crime was not only a police matter, but should also involve others spheres of government and civil society.

The meeting comes three days before the official launch of the specialised anti-gang unit, that is set to focus on riding the Cape Flats of gangsters.