Understanding escalating levels of murder in South Africa

Why is the country’s per-capita murder rate the highest it has been in 20 years?

South Africa’s per-capita murder rate of 45 per 100 000 is the highest on record in 20 years. To understand why murders have been steadily escalating, we must look beyond national trends. The deeply worrying national picture is a result of high murder rates in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng provinces.

This seminar will explain murder trends in South Africa and discuss how police and government should respond. A new Institute for Security Studies (ISS) policy brief on provincial murder trends will be launched.

Moderator: Dr Anine Kriegler, Senior Researcher, ISS

Panelists:

David Bruce, Policing Expert, ISS

Ziyanda Stuurman, policing expert and author of Can We Be Safe? The Future of Policing in SA

Siphelele Ngobese, Senior Researcher, South African Cities Network

Development partners
This event is funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The ISS is also grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the European Union, the Open Society Foundations and the governments of Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
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