Police Minister Bheki Cele on Friday admitted that crime remains stubbornly high in the country despite reductions in murder and rape cases during the second quarter of the current financial year.
Cele, presenting crime statistics for July to September, said contact crime remains a problem but police were beginning to make progress.
He said in the second quarter they have made several arrests for crimes related to sexual offences.
Major-General Norman Sekhukhune, who is the head of the South African Police Service crime research and statistics, told members of the portfolio committee on police that 6,945 people who were killed between July and September.
This was 59 less compared to 7,004 people who were killed during the same period last year.
He said with rapes there were more than 10,000 rape cases that were reported during the second quarter.
There were 10,516 rape cases reported during the second quarter of this year and these were 74 cases less than those reported during the same period last year where 10,590 cases of rape were reported.
IOL Politics