Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that almost 200,000 people have been killed in South Africa in the last decade.
The statistics showed that the murder rate was increasing every year.
Cele said there were 16,000 people that were killed in 2013, but last year more than 25,000 people were killed.
The police have in previous crime statistics showed a spike in murders, with firearms being one of the major weapons used, followed by knives and other sharp objects.
Cele, who was replying to a written Parliamentary question from Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, said murder cases have been on the increase in the last 10 years.
He said in the 2012/2013 financial year, there were 16,213 people that were killed in the country.
However, that number increased in the following financial year when 17,023 people were killed.
He said in the 2014/15 financial year the murder rate went up again when 17,805 people were murdered.
In 2015/16 Cele said 18,673 people were murdered in the country.
The numbers further escalated in the following financial year when 19,016 were killed in South Africa.
He said in the 2017/18 financial year there were more people who were killed, as police recorded 20,336 murders.
In the 2018/19 period there were 21,022 murders recorded by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
This number increased in the following financial year when members of the SAPS recorded 21,325 murders.
Cele said in the 2020/21 period they recorded 19,972 murders.
But in the 2021/22 financial year there was a huge spike in people who were killed, with the SAPS recording 25,181 murders.
Cele said over the last years 10 years there were 196,566 people who were killed in South Africa.
He said they are hiring more police officers to crackdown on violent crime.
The police have promised to hire thousands of new officers in the next three years and some of the new recruits will be sent to specialised units to beef them up.
Politics