Individual experiences of crime surveyed by Stats SA highlight the millions of people who have been victims of the scourge as well as the lack of safety that citizens across the country face, whether in their homes or on the streets.
The numbers in the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey — Victims of Crime Report released by Stats SA on Tuesday are higher than the quarterly crime statistics released by the SA Police Service (SAPS) as the police statistics contain only reported crimes whereas many crimes are not reported to the police.
The aim of the victims of crime survey was to determine “the nature, extent and patterns of crime in SA from the victim’s perspective so as to inform the development of crime prevention and public education programmes”, Stats SA said.
The Stats SA survey found there were about 1.5-million incidents of housebreaking in 2023/24 affecting 1.1-million households and about 1.4-million incidents of theft of personal property during the year, affecting 1.3-million individuals aged 16 years and older.
“The number of affected individuals [of theft] represents 3% of the population,” statistician general Risenga Maluleke said at a media briefing to release the results.
Stats SA deputy director-general Solly Molayi expressed confidence that the sample size of the survey — about 30,000 respondents across nine provinces with an 87% response rate — was solid and representative, though Maluleke said the sample size would have been increased if Stats SA had more money.
Maluleke was adamant that the Census 2022 numbers were solid “and they stand” despite the 31% undercount and despite the criticisms by expert demographers who have questioned the veracity of the census results.
The statistics on victims’ experiences of crime revealed that 2.6-million households experienced housebreaking or burglary over the past five years and 459,000 home robberies when they were at home.
About 257,000 households experienced assault during the past five years, about 222,000 the theft of a motor vehicle, 219,000 the deliberate damaging of dwellings, about 67,000 murder and about 47,000 households experienced sexual offences.
The survey showed housebreaking/burglary, home robbery, assault, deliberate damage to property, theft of motor vehicles, sexual offences and murder had all increased dramatically during 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.
In 66.7% of home robbery cases a gun was used.
About 2.8-million individuals suffered the theft of personal property over the past five years, 1.1-million street robbery, 700,000 consumer fraud (a 16% increase over the previous five-year period), 650,000 assault (26% increase) and 116,000 sexual offences.
Only 28.5% of those who suffered the theft of personal property reported the crime to the police. There were 1.4-million incidents of theft of personal property in 2023/24.
The survey results also highlighted the prevalence of gender based violence (GBV) by a spouse or intimate partner. “Females are less safe at home where they are supposed to be safe,” Maluleke said.
There was an increase in reported sexual offences in 2023/24. Of those individuals who were victim of sexual assault, 34% of females reported their spouse or intimate partner was the perpetrator.
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