South Africa records nearly 6,200 murders in three months

South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest crime rates, recorded nearly 6,200 murders between April and June, down 0.5 percent from the same period last year, according to police statistics released Friday.

Crime is one of the main challenges facing the unity government formed after President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected in May.

“Some 6,198 people were murdered,” Police Minister Senzo Mchunu told a news conference in Cape Town.

“These figures reflect the gravity of the challenges we face. They reflect much more than numbers on a page: they reflect the lived reality of our citizens – their fears, their losses and their hopes for a safer future,” he said.

South Africa’s per capita homicide rate is one of the highest in the world for a country not involved in conflict. This crime is driven in part by gang activity and the widespread illegal circulation of firearms.