The number of violent activities and medical emergencies increased by 109 percent between 2020 and 2021, with almost 5,000 hijackings reported last year alone, according to a new report published on Wednesday.
The inaugural Crime Trend Report published by South Africa’s leading security and medical response database AURA showed that there were 4,973 hijackings in 2021 – a 3.5 percent increase from the same period during the previous year.
“In 2021, the highest volume of incidents were recorded in Gauteng, followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,” the report said.
Suspicious activity, vehicle breakdown, an altercation with a third party, followed by armed robbery are the most popular reasons cited for South Africans calling for help via an AURA-powered platform, it said.
It attributed the protest action and armed robbery reported in 2021 to the civil unrest that engulfed the country in July last year, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
It noted a 47 percent increase in incidents of domestic violence during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the previous three months.
In May 2021, AURA reported a 61 percent spike in the number of medical-related incidents, coinciding with the beginning of the country’s devastating third wave of COVID-19 infections.
AURA chief executive Warren Myers said technology is proving useful in presenting a clear and accurate picture of the threats South Africans face daily and in preventing violent crime.
“With these powerful data sets, which are being refined and improved daily, we are beginning to really understand how to apply technology to make our country a safer place for everyone.”
South Africa has one of the world’s highest crime rates, with the police estimating that a woman is raped every 36 seconds.
“Our unacceptably high levels of crime mean South Africans live in a near perpetual state of fear and anxiety. We should never become so desensitised to crime that we lose sight of its devastating impact at every level of society. Combatting it swiftly and intelligently is an urgent priority,” Myers said.
JN/APA