One crime cost 9,000 South African lives in five years
Over 9,000 people lost their lives to mass shootings between 2019/20 and 2023/24, as “multiple murder incidents” become increasingly prevalent across the country.
This was revealed in Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s response to a Parliamentary question from Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana.
The minister said that between 2019/20 and 2023/24, there have been 9,073 mass shootings or ‘multiple murder incidents’.
Furthermore, over the same period, as a result of these incidents:
- 1,986 individuals have been arrested.
- 143 cases have resulted in convictions.
- 22 illegal firearms can currently be linked to cases of multiple murders.
- 218 individuals were injured in multiple shooting cases.
Mchunu further revealed that the South African Police Service (SAPS) uses the concept of “multiple murders” and not “mass shooting” or “mass murder” for the purposes of crime statistics.
This is because there is no peer-agreed definition of mass shootings, both nationally and internationally.
“This single data point sadly aligns with the overall quarterly and annual crime statistics, which point to South Africa being an increasingly violent country, where people, their communities, businesses and assets are not safe,” Gana said.
He added that RISE Mzansi will call for the topic of crime and the rule of law to be included in the National Dialogue, which is scheduled to take place early this year.
“Levels of murder in South Africa mirror, and in some instances exceed, those of warzones. It is not a normal state of affairs, which requires a new approach,” he said. “A violent and unsafe country cannot be an equal and prosperous one.”
In a different Parliamentary question at the end of 2024, Mchunu was asked what intergovernmental intelligence interventions have been planned to combat South Africa’s increase in gang-related shootings and mass shootings.
The minister explained that the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Division: Crime Intelligence provides inputs on Departmental Intelligence Estimates (DIEs) to the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee.
DIEs, as per the norm, are also sourced from the State Security Agency, the South African National Defence Force’s Defence Intelligence, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
He added that other government entities, such as the National Treasury, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Financial Intelligence Centre, are also consulted for input on the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE).
The NIE is aimed at addressing strategic security threats to the country.
“The early warnings that are also received by the SAPS’ Crime Intelligence capability, including those from other intelligence agencies, are also assessed, analysed and timeously sent to the relevant province for operationalisation,” he said.
“Crime Intelligence also provides monthly intelligence reports to the National Commissioner and the Minister of Police.”

However, the police’s efforts in apprehending and prosecuting criminals like those responsible for mass murder have not been satisfactory, according to IRS Forensic Investigator Chad Thomas.
Thomas told eNCA that while the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) may claim a successful conviction rate, this does not tell the full story.
He explained that the NPA only enrols cases where there is the prospect of successful prosecution.
This discrepancy was revealed in early 2024 when former Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that 5 million dockets had been closed.
“This means those dockets had never been enrolled in court, suspects have not been identified, and there has been no justice for those victims,” Thomas said.
“Therein lies the massive problem – criminals are not being held to account. There are no consequences for their most horrific of acts.”
In 2024, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) President Thulani Ngwenya warned that the police force’s skills drain is putting South Africans’ safety at risk.
He said the skills drain is now reaching critical levels as members retire or leave the service for better-paying positions in the private sector.
“This represents a serious threat to our national security, as our most skilled officers are leaving faster than we can train replacements,” he said.
“Law enforcement is already understaffed and underequipped, and this exodus from specialised divisions means that we cannot properly deal with serious crimes that fall beyond the scope of classic policing.”
He said that while private security firms are luring away highly trained personnel with lucrative offers, South Africa has been left vulnerable to security breaches.
“Additionally, the migration of some of our most experienced and valuable officers to the private sector is not only weakening our law enforcement capabilities but also undermining the principle of state responsibility for protecting all citizens,” he said.
Ngwenya said active police numbers across SAPS have been unsatisfactory for years.
For example, the total number of officers fell by 17,470 between 2012 and 2022, as revealed by the Annual Performance Plan for the 2023/2024 period.
Meanwhile, the country’s population grew by more than eight million people during that time.
“Even if the SAPS trains and hires the 10,000 new recruits pledged by the government this year, this will have little immediate impact on higher-level crimes,” he explained.
“Dealing with these crimes requires the abilities of far more experienced officers, who take years to train and upskill to reach their positions.”
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